Combining waterpark ventures with additional attractions, activities and accommodation is the best way to assure their financial success, according to David Camp of D&J International Consulting.

Writing in Attractions Management's Issue 1 of 2019, Camp drew upon a project his company had worked on with Europa Park, which is investing around €150m (US$170m, £128m) in creating the Rulantica waterpark and hotel accommodation in Germany, set to open later this year.

While helping to plan this expansion, Camp said that D&J International Consulting examined a number of theme park and waterpark destinations around the world.

"We discovered that waterparks built near to theme parks are typically able to achieve attendance levels of between 10-20 per cent of the associated theme park visitor numbers, and often the admission prices for the waterpark are not far below those of the theme park," he said.

"This is a significant additional volume of visitors and revenues that can make a major contribution to the finances of a resort."

Camp cited several examples of where this business model is operating successfully: the majority of Six Flags' waterparks are located alongside theme park operations, for example. It need not be a theme park either: Center Parcs and Lalandia in Europe, and Great Wolf and Kalahari in North America, have all created large scale resort operations with significant accommodation alongside a year-round indoor waterpark.

He concluded that, with exciting new rides and attractions being developed every year, family water play still stands up to the increasingly digital and virtual world with a "refreshingly enduring appeal".

To read the full article see Issue 1 2019 of Attractions Management here