dat the end of the pandemic there is a sector that knows no crisis. Indeed it is the only one that exceeds the pre-pandemic presence data and is that of amusement parks. One for all? Gardaland, the park born almost fifty years ago inspired (at least in the intention of the founder Livio Furini) by Disneyland: it is mainly families who choose it today and who book it (complete with season tickets) are actually also a hard core of unbeatable customers, i.e. adults without children. Couples, groups of friends. Marvelous.
And it doesn’t end here: among the data of attendance – 75% are Italian – that of the Milanese stands out who, together with the Venetians, never miss an opportunity to enjoy the park born in their region. The Milanese are actually the kings of trips out of town and to pay homage to them – among the novelties of the park this year – there is the reconstruction with Lego bricks of the city of Milan with its eleven skyscrapers and its trams.
Gardaland also means playful renaissance. That is to say party, beauty, but also business: the related activities of the park have in fact strengthened everything around it that was open only two or three months a year and now, however, does not experience seasonal closures. Hotels, restaurants, shopping malls. “With over three million visitors to the resort in 2022, we reached and exceeded visitors before the pandemic,” says CEO Sabrina De Carvalho. «Foreign tourists are also gradually returning, especially from Germany, Austria, Holland and Switzerland, as well as from Eastern Europe and Israel. Their incidence is much higher on the three hotels of the Gardaland Resort, inside the park. There are 475 rooms, more than half of which are completely themed and seem to be an ideal continuation of the activities at the park », she concludes.
Five novelties at Gardaland
The 2023 season was inaugurated with five novelties. Among these: theexpansion of the Miniland of Legoland Water Park with the Milano Moderna area, a 1:20 scale reconstruction of 11 skyscrapers faithfully reproduced by expert designers and builders with around four hundred thousand colored and iconic Lego bricks. Jumanji follows. The Labyrinthinspired by Sony Pictures Entertainment’s blockbuster film series, an immersive experience where guests are the real protagonists of a labyrinth of over forty mirrors to a massive jungle labyrinth of over two thousand real plants within which detours, crossroads, dead ends and surprise effects are hidden. Once in the heart of the labyrinth you will find yourself dealing with a jaguar, a monkey, an elephant and a crocodile. The majestic Elephant Temple is the only way out that allows – ideally – to bring water back to the kingdom of Jumanji.
Gardaland Jumanji The Labyrinth
At Gardaland Theater there is then the Nautilusa unique live show with the extraordinary contribution of Cesara Buonamici. At the 4D cinema, the new Experience Mowgli’s 4D Jungle Adventure. And finally, for the little ones, “CoComelon Meet&Greet – meet JJ and dance with him”, an opportunity to dance with the famous character from the JJ series. Finally, let’s not forget the Gardaland SEA LIFE Aquariumthe aquarium that houses over five thousand marine creatures.
Parks, records and promises
With over 20 million visitors, Italian amusement parks are confirmed as major tourist attractions: between ticketing and related activities, they generate a turnover of 2 billion euros, for a total of over sixty thousand employees. In the meantime Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism, met with the Italian Permanent Parks Association to outline the strategic development plan of the sector which has by now become an essential component of the Italian tourist offer, especially in the eyes of foreigners.
Yes, because in Italy they are counted around 230 companies including theme, water, wildlife and adventure parks, which make major investments every year: for example, over 120 million euros have already been invested in the 2023 season in new attractions and themed areas, and twenty thousand seasonal employees will be hired by the summer. Among the requests forwarded to the Minister, here are some: the simplification of the authorization procedures for new projects, greater flexibility on the labor market and facilitations for access to credit. “We need to count on concrete institutional support to compete abroad, especially to help smaller businesses,” said Luciano Pareschi, president of the Italian Permanent Parks Association. Also on the agenda is the planning of the next structural investments, for a total of 450 million euros in the three-year period 2024/2026and last but not least: the theme of sustainability, or rather, with regard to parks, the supply of energy through renewable sources and the adoption of new technologies for water treatment (to be drawn from wells and from the sea).
Let’s go to Romagna
It’s called Polo Costa Edutainment and includes Italia in Miniatura in Rimini, Oltremare Family Experience Park and Aquafan in Riccione and the Cattolica Aquarium: their reopening also takes place under the banner of novelties and on the basis of a strong commitment to the environment . Already from 2022 the parks (all pet friendly) entrust one hundred percent of their energy needs to renewable sources and are committed to reducing the need for water, already cut by 20%.
And what’s new here? One for all the gondola ride in Venice, but in that of Italy in miniature, or the park, founded in 1970, which pays homage to the most beautiful country in the world with over three hundred miniatures of monuments from Italy and Europe. And then, still in Rimini, the Old Sawmill for a breathtaking descent aboard logs, the Monorail, the suspended train that travels in mid-air and the phantasmagoric tale of Pinocchio, a colorful journey in search of the famous puppetthe Land of Toys and the Blue Fairy (www.italiainminiatura.com).
It’s not over: the World of Dinosaurs and the new Giant Insects XXL Edition exhibition, as well as penguins and sharks is what awaits you in Cattolica. Why an exhibition of insects magnified twenty to two hundred times? Because for every human being there are from 20 to 2000 kg of insects that live at almost all latitudes and temperatures and should be discovered while having fun. (acquariodicattolica.it)
In Riccione, on the other hand, note the Scart exhibition: the beautiful and useful side of waste – A sea to be saved, a roundup of works of art created exclusively with waste materials, transformed into a thousand forms of art (in collaboration with the Hera Group). For this and other events we start on Sunday 23rd April with the Dinsieme and continue on Sunday 30th with La Sabri and Pika who will meet the little guests (www.oltremare.org).
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