PortAventura World

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PortAventura World Parks & Resort
Previously known as * Universal Mediterranea (2002–2004)
* PortAventura (2005–2012)
* PortAventura: European Destination Resort (2013–2015)
PortAdventura World Logo.svg
Location Salou and Vila-seca, Catalonia, Spain
Coordinates 41°05′13″N1°09′26″E / 41.086839°N 1.157272°E / 41.086839; 1.157272
Opened13 June 2002;21 years ago (2002-06-13) (resort) [1]
1 May 1995;28 years ago (1995-05-01) (first park)
Owner Investindustrial
KKR
Operated by Investindustrial
General managerSergio Feder
SloganParks & Resort
Operating seasonSpring through winter
Attendance5.2 million (2019) [2]
Area119 ha [3]
294 acres
Attractions
Total53
Roller coasters9
Water rides5
Website Official website

PortAventura World is an entertainment resort in Salou and Vila-seca, Tarragona, on the Costa Daurada in Catalonia, Spain. It was built around the PortAventura Park theme park, which attracts around 3.5 million visitors per year, making it the most visited theme park in Spain and the sixth most visited theme park in Europe. [4]

Contents

In 2017, with the opening of a third park, Ferrari Land, the resort rebranded to PortAventura World, which includes all three theme parks, six hotels, a convention center, and an RV park. Reus Airport lies within 15-minute drive, and Barcelona Airport is within an hour. [5] The train station Salou-Port Aventura is 750m from the resort entrance and features line R17 trains to Barcelona and Tarragona.

History

When Port Aventura opened in 1995 in Salou, [6] The Tussauds Group owned 40.0% of the park, while La Caixa had 33.2%, Anheuser-Busch had 19.9%, and FECSA had 6.7%. [7] [8] [9] [10] In 1998, the majority of Tussauds Group's shares in the park were sold to Universal and the park was rebranded as 'Universal's Port Aventura', which made it the first Universal Studios theme park in Europe. [11] [12] [13]

In 2002, a water park (Costa Caribe) and two hotels (Hotel PortAventura and Hotel El Paso) were constructed, and the resort was further rebranded as 'Universal Mediterranea'. [14] [15] In 2004, NBCUniversal (Universal Studios' parent) sold all interest in PortAventura. [16] It is owned and operated by La Caixa Banking Group's investment vehicle Criteria, but as of 2005, the Universal name has been dropped from the branding, and the resort was once again named 'PortAventura' (the space in the name is deliberately left out for trademark reasons). In 2009, the resort hosted 3,310,000 visitors. [17]

In December 2013, private equity firm KKR [18] picked up a 49.9% stake in PortAventura from Investindustrial, which still owned 50.1%. In 2016, the resort was renamed 'PortAventura World Parks & Resort'. [19] The second theme park, Ferrari Land, was inaugurated on April 7, 2017. [20] PortAventura Dream Village, an exclusive vacation for guests with additional needs, opened in 2017. [21]

Annual visits [22] [23] [3] [24] [25]
2012201320142015201620172018
Visits to the parks3,703,2173,700,0003,819,4743,940,4443,896,9014,715,0884,962,512
Visits to PortAventura Park3,439,4443,494,9983,499,3753,528,9083,607,9373,589,918
Visits to PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park263,773324,476313,831367,993335,351326,611
Visits to Ferrari Land–––––713,4211,045,983
Visits to Cirque du Soleil––100,000127,238–58,379–
International visits35%38%36%33%33%33%36%
Rooms occupied323,723334,409337,219376,026390,200
Participants at Convention Centre44,46164,53681,35272,46168,78273,671
Events at Convention Centre154184226259201
Total visits (parks, hotels, convention centre)4,984,0924,946,3895,837,5096,130,308
Balance sheet figures (thousands of euros)
Non-current assets913,867934,196968,483997,964988,362
Current assets31,93919,80227,32044,74058,822
Equity and liabilities945,806953,998995,8031,042,7041,047,184
Current and non-current liabilities500,990492,577515,062548,418543,028
Income statement results (thousands of euros)
Equivalent turnover181,200181,800194,682191,160203,055234,957230,349

PortAventura Park

Entrance Entrada a PortAventura Halloween.jpg
Entrance
The Tutuki Splash water ride PortAventura Tutuki Splash.jpg
The Tutuki Splash water ride

The park features five theme areas based on civilizations (Mediterrània, Far West, México, China and Polynesia), and one theme area based on Sesame Street. Mediterrània is the main entrance area of the park.

Main rides

Ferrari Land

Italian village, Ferrari Land Village italien restaurant fl.jpg
Italian village, Ferrari Land

InvestIndustrial and Ferrari signed a deal to build a new area themed to the Italian sports car brand in the PortAventura resort covering 60,000 m2, [26] [27] including new rides, restaurants, shops and car racing simulators. Ferrari Land is the resort's second theme park, separate from PortAventura Park. The park was opened on 7 April 2017, after an investment of more than €100 million. [28]

Its entrance is adjacent to PortAventura Park's main entrance. The Mediterranean theme is common to both entrances, as Ferrari Land is inspired by Italy, including recreations of Venice's Piazza San Marco and Rome's Colosseum. The main ride of Ferrari Land is Red Force, a 112 m tall vertical accelerator coaster that surpassed Shambhala as the tallest coaster in Europe and is also the fastest coaster in Europe. Ferrari Land opened a kids area in 2018.

Ferrari Land is the second amusement centre themed to Ferrari in the world, after Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. [29]

Partial list of rides and attractions

Roller coasters

NameManufacturerSpeedHeightLengthLocationOpened
Shambhala Bolliger & Mabillard 83 miles per hour (134 km/h)249 feet (76 m)5,410 feet (1,650 m)China2012
Dragon Khan Bolliger & Mabillard 65 miles per hour (105 km/h)148 feet (45 m)4,165 feet (1,269 m)China1995
Furius Baco Intamin 83.9 miles per hour (135.0 km/h)15 feet (4.6 m)2,789 feet (850 m)Mediterrània2007
Junior Red Force SBF Visa Group 28 miles per hour (45 km/h)UnknownUnknownFerrari Land2018
Red Force Intamin 112 miles per hour (180 km/h)367 feet (112 m)2,887 feet (880 m)Ferrari Land2017
Stampida CCI 46 miles per hour (74 km/h)84 feet (26 m)3,127 feet (953 m)Far West1997
Tomahawk CCI 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)44 feet (13 m)1,444 feet (440 m)Far West1997
El Diablo – Tren de la Mina Arrow Dynamics 37 miles per hour (60 km/h)54 feet (16 m)3,306 feet (1,008 m)México1995
Tami Tami Vekoma 21.7 miles per hour (34.9 km/h)28 feet (8.5 m)679 feet (207 m)SésamoAventura1998

Flat rides

NameManufacturerHeightSpeedLengthLocationOpened
Kon-tiki Wave HUSS Park Attractions 66 feet (20 m)UnknownUnknownPolynesia1995
Serpiente Emplumada Schwarzkopf 9.8 feet (3.0 m)UnknownUnknownMéxico1995
Yucatán Mack Rides –13 revolutions per minute UnknownMéxico1995
Hurakan Condor Intamin 330 feet (100 m)71.4 miles per hour (114.9 km/h)370 feet (110 m)México2005
Maranello Grand RaceC&S–Unknown1,870 feet (570 m)Ferrari Land2017
Thrill Towers S&S Worldwide 180 feet (55 m)UnknownUnknownFerrari Land2017
Street Mission Sally Corporation, ETF –UnknownUnknownSésamoAventura2019

Water rides

NameManufacturerSpeedHeightLengthLocationOpened
Tutuki Splash Intamin 35 miles per hour (56 km/h)45 feet (14 m)01,438 feet (438 m)Polynesia1995
Silver River Flume Mack Rides 35 miles per hour (56 km/h)50 feet (15 m)02,260 feet (690 m)Far West1995
Grand Canyon Rapids Intamin 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)–02,800 feet (850 m)Far West1995
Canoes Zamperla 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)–02,800 feet (850 m)Polynesia1995
Angkor Mack Rides 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)–02,800 feet (850 m)China2014

Amusement rides using motion pictures

NameManufacturerHeightLengthLocationOpened
Dino Scape 4D Thinkwell Group, Universal Creative 6.6 feet (2.0 m)UnknownPolynesia2000
Flying DreamsBrogentUnknownUnknownFerrari Land2017
Racing LegendsSimworxUnknownUnknownFerrari Land2017
Street MissionSally Corp, ETF Ride SystemsUnknownUnknownSésamoAventura2019

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park

Costa Caribe Aquatic Park entrance Entrada Caribe Aquatic Park.JPG
Costa Caribe Aquatic Park entrance
Costa Caribe Aquatic Park - La Laguna de Woody Laguna de Woody CAP.JPG
Costa Caribe Aquatic Park – La Laguna de Woody

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park is a water park which is adjacent to PortAventura Park. It has an area of 50,000 m2, which includes 16 attractions and slides, as well as over 8,500 m2 of water-covered surface area. It is themed to the Caribbean, with beaches, palm trees, and Latin and reggae music, and it also includes shops and restaurants.

The park has been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak and currently is remaining closed throughout 2020.

Rides

Kids rides

Resort hotels

The resort features six themed hotels:

Seasonal events

FiestAventura FiestAventura logo PA.JPG
FiestAventura

During seasonal events like summer nights, Halloween (September to November) and Christmas (November to January), PortAventura Park opens seasonal walk around rides or shows, including the mazes: [REC], Horror in Penitence, La Selva del Miedo and the nighttime Halloween show Horror en el Lago.

Some events
Summer
  • Dance Revolution – At the Gran Teatro Imperial Theatre
  • PortAventura Parade – A parade with music and choreography, leading up to the start of the FiestAventura show
  • FiestAventura – The fireworks show including water effects and floats
Halloween
  • Halloween Kingdom – At the Gran Teatro Imperial Theatre
  • [REC] Experience – Passage of terror
  • Horror in Penitence – Passage of terror
  • La Selva del Miedo – Passage of terror
  • Halloween Parade – A parade with music and choreography of the most terrifying monsters at the park, leading up to the start of the Horror en el Lago show
  • Horror en el Lago – The fireworks show including water effects and floats
Christmas
  • PortAventura Christmas World – At the Gran Teatro Imperial Theatre
  • Cuento de Navidad – Magnificent artistic and acrobatic display with international ice-skaters
  • Christmas Family Festival – A family area only for Christmas
  • Christmas Parade – A parade with music and choreography full of Christmas lights and carriages, leading up to the start of the La llegada de los Emisarios Reales
  • La llegada de los Emisarios Reales – The Three Kings helpers arrive at the lake with a great multimedia firework show.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Universal Mediterránea destinado a ser el destino familiar más importante de Europa". parquestematicos.org. 13 June 2002. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Eduard Castaño (8 July 2020). "PortAventura vuelve a abrir hoy" (in Spanish). Diari de Tarragona. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Annual report Corporate responsibility 2012" (PDF). fundacioportaventura.org. 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Themed Entertainment Association; Economics Research Associates (2013). "Global attractions attendance report" (PDF). AECOM. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "How to get to PortAventura". portaventura.co.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Richard Schweid (2 November 1992). "Europe's Second Theme Park Planned in Spain". Associated Press . Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Naissance de Port Aventura, gigantesque parc de loisirs près de Barcelone". Libération. 24 April 1995. Retrieved 28 October 2018..
  8. ↑ "Ray Barratt". blooloop. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Josep Maria Cortes, Manel Perez (29 January 1993). "La Generalitat tomará y el 10% del parque de Salou si Busch recupera la mayoría". El País. Retrieved 28 October 2018..
  10. ↑ Salvador Anton Clavé (16 April 2007). The Global Theme Park Industry . CABI. p.  131. ISBN   978-1845932084.
  11. ↑ "Pearson raises pounds 58m on sale of Spanish theme park stake". The Independent . 23 June 1998. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Pearson Completes Tussauds Group Disposal". pearson.com. 19 October 1998. Retrieved 18 October 2018..
  13. ↑ "Veremonte y La Caixa se alían en Barcelona World". La Vanguardia. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2018. Translation: "Veremonte and La Caixa team up in Barcelona World".
  14. ↑ "Universal Mediterranea near completion". leisureopportunities.co.uk. 26 February 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "Del Dragon Khan al mayor polo turístico del Mediterráneo". diaridetarragona.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "U sells Port Aventura stake". Variety. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2018..
  17. ↑ "Spain: Port Aventura, registered 3, 310, 000 visitors, representing a decrease of 8% over the previous year". blooloop.com. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  18. ↑ "KKR picks up 49.9% stake in PortAventura from Investindustrial | AltAssets Private Equity News". Altassets.net. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  19. ↑ Joe Kleiman (26 January 2016). "PortAventura Rebrands with New Website in Anticipation of Ferrari Land". inparkmagazine.com. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "Ferrari Land estará separado de PortAventura y creará 150 empleos". La Vanguardia . 7 May 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Fundació PortAventura".
  22. ↑ "Corporate responsibility report '16" (PDF). investindustrial.com. 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  23. ↑ "Corporate responsibility report 2017" (PDF). investindustrial.com. 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  24. ↑ "Annual report 2013 Corporate responsibility" (PDF). fundacioportaventura.org. 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  25. ↑ "Corporate responsibility report 2018" (PDF). Amazon Web Services. 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  26. ↑ "Feu vert pour Ferrari Land qui ouvrira ses portes le 7 avril 2017" (pdf). AWS (in French). 13 July 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  27. ↑ "Les Points à l'ordre du jour: Ferrari Land ouvrira le 7 avril 2017". mostreliablecarbrands.com (in French). 7 July 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Points on the agenda: Ferrari Land will open on the 7th of April 2017 | Most Reliable Car Brands".
  29. ↑ Clara Blanchar. "Port Aventura invertirá 100 millones en un nuevo parque dedicado a Ferrari". El País . Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  30. ↑ Michelle Chenery (2 November 2015). "PortAventura – a world class and versatile events option". incentivetravel.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  31. ↑ Ashifa Kassam (13 March 2014). "Ferrari theme park to open at PortAventura resort near Barcelona". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 November 2018.
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