Two attractions operators with very different concepts show the value of embedding passionate environmentalism into the heart of the business and refining a strong operating model before going global
Therme has commissioned work from major artists, including Es Devlin / Credit: ES DEVLIN Forest of Us Therme Group
This issue, we reveal the latest updates from two dynamic and innovative organisations – Therme Group and the Eden Project.
Both have incubated groundbreaking, concepts and are now in the thick of global rollouts, both spoke to Attractions Management from COP26 in Glasgow and both are focused on creating a sustainable future for people and planet.
Therme Group has the potential to be a category killer and disruptor across multiple sectors, blurring the boundaries between attractions, wellness, hospitality, fitness and art – via Therme Art – creating new synergies between them.
Starting out as a thermal spa operator in Germany before diversifying, the company is building vast ecologically-based properties globally, with new developments underway in Canada and the UK, as well as plans outlined for additional facilities across the US, Asia and Europe.
Therme Group’s philosophy is that environmentalism must be the bedrock of any business and that wellbeing is about fun, culture and socialising, as much as it is about waterpark thrills, massages and steamrooms – its new carbon positive resorts will feature waterslides and wave pools, thermal spas, immersive art installations, vertical farms, sustainable food offerings and innovative technology.
The way Therme is straddling sectors, coupled with its scale – locations will welcome 7k people a day – makes it a company to watch, as the boundaries between markets continue to blur.
The Eden Project is also going global, building on the success of the original UK attraction to reach a wider audience, with the message that individuals and governments must act now to protect the future of the planet.
In addition to its work on geothermal power, Eden has seven locations underway globally, partnering with ‘like-minded organisations’ and CEO, David Harland, told Attractions Management it’s vital they’re built and operated in line with the Eden ethos. “You have to work with people, rather than just criticise from the outside,” he says.
The way Eden’s powerful environmental message is resonating with consumers, 20+ years since it was founded, shows how environmentalism is hitting the mainstream, while its growth illustrates how sustainability contributes to commercial success by reducing costs – something all attractions can work towards.
Interview: David Harland & Sir Tim Smit
With projects underway around the world, the Eden Project is going global with its call to arms for the future of the planet
Museums: Getting creative
How the Young V&A will aim to provide children with the creative tools stripped out by the pandemic
Interview: Richard Land
Mixing waterslides with wellbeing, the Therme Group is creating a category all of its own while taking on the world, says the group’s chief development officer
Museums: Kunsthaus Zurich completes
A David Chipperfield extension has more than doubled the museum’s exhibition space, making Zurich a major destination for the arts
Interview: Julien Kauffmann
As Farah Experiences prepares to open SeaWorld Abu Dubai, its CEO talks COVID-19, branding and branching with David Camp
Research: Making pre-booking work
Attractions are benefiting from the switch to pre-booking, but must cater for spontaneous, disorganised visitors too, says Jon Young
Research: All creatures great and small
Zoo enrichment and research can’t just be focused on the large animals most popular with visitors, argues Dr Paul Rose. All must be represented
Research: Popularity game
Research on zoo animals focuses more on ‘familiar’ species such as gorillas and chimpanzees, rather than less well known ones such as the waxy monkey frog, scientists say
Analysis: Light in the dark
A successful winter light show can see margins upwards of 30 per cent. Kathleen LaClair and
Yael Coifman look at some of the operators getting it right
Museums: Munch Museum opens in Norway
The iconic new attraction has opened on Oslo’s waterfront with the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch
Mystery Shopper: Galleries & Gourds
It has transformed the sleepy town of Bruton, UK, but does Hauser & Wirth Somerset live up to the hype? Magali Robathan mystery shops to find out
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Two attractions operators with very different concepts show the value of embedding passionate environmentalism into the heart of the business and refining a strong operating model before going global
Therme has commissioned work from major artists, including Es Devlin / Credit: ES DEVLIN Forest of Us Therme Group
This issue, we reveal the latest updates from two dynamic and innovative organisations – Therme Group and the Eden Project.
Both have incubated groundbreaking, concepts and are now in the thick of global rollouts, both spoke to Attractions Management from COP26 in Glasgow and both are focused on creating a sustainable future for people and planet.
Therme Group has the potential to be a category killer and disruptor across multiple sectors, blurring the boundaries between attractions, wellness, hospitality, fitness and art – via Therme Art – creating new synergies between them.
Starting out as a thermal spa operator in Germany before diversifying, the company is building vast ecologically-based properties globally, with new developments underway in Canada and the UK, as well as plans outlined for additional facilities across the US, Asia and Europe.
Therme Group’s philosophy is that environmentalism must be the bedrock of any business and that wellbeing is about fun, culture and socialising, as much as it is about waterpark thrills, massages and steamrooms – its new carbon positive resorts will feature waterslides and wave pools, thermal spas, immersive art installations, vertical farms, sustainable food offerings and innovative technology.
The way Therme is straddling sectors, coupled with its scale – locations will welcome 7k people a day – makes it a company to watch, as the boundaries between markets continue to blur.
The Eden Project is also going global, building on the success of the original UK attraction to reach a wider audience, with the message that individuals and governments must act now to protect the future of the planet.
In addition to its work on geothermal power, Eden has seven locations underway globally, partnering with ‘like-minded organisations’ and CEO, David Harland, told Attractions Management it’s vital they’re built and operated in line with the Eden ethos. “You have to work with people, rather than just criticise from the outside,” he says.
The way Eden’s powerful environmental message is resonating with consumers, 20+ years since it was founded, shows how environmentalism is hitting the mainstream, while its growth illustrates how sustainability contributes to commercial success by reducing costs – something all attractions can work towards.
Interview: David Harland & Sir Tim Smit
With projects underway around the world, the Eden Project is going global with its call to arms for the future of the planet
Museums: Getting creative
How the Young V&A will aim to provide children with the creative tools stripped out by the pandemic
Interview: Richard Land
Mixing waterslides with wellbeing, the Therme Group is creating a category all of its own while taking on the world, says the group’s chief development officer
Museums: Kunsthaus Zurich completes
A David Chipperfield extension has more than doubled the museum’s exhibition space, making Zurich a major destination for the arts
Interview: Julien Kauffmann
As Farah Experiences prepares to open SeaWorld Abu Dubai, its CEO talks COVID-19, branding and branching with David Camp
Research: Making pre-booking work
Attractions are benefiting from the switch to pre-booking, but must cater for spontaneous, disorganised visitors too, says Jon Young
Research: All creatures great and small
Zoo enrichment and research can’t just be focused on the large animals most popular with visitors, argues Dr Paul Rose. All must be represented
Research: Popularity game
Research on zoo animals focuses more on ‘familiar’ species such as gorillas and chimpanzees, rather than less well known ones such as the waxy monkey frog, scientists say
Analysis: Light in the dark
A successful winter light show can see margins upwards of 30 per cent. Kathleen LaClair and
Yael Coifman look at some of the operators getting it right
Museums: Munch Museum opens in Norway
The iconic new attraction has opened on Oslo’s waterfront with the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch
Mystery Shopper: Galleries & Gourds
It has transformed the sleepy town of Bruton, UK, but does Hauser & Wirth Somerset live up to the hype? Magali Robathan mystery shops to find out
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
+ More news
COMPANY PROFILES
Simworx Ltd The company was initially established
in 1997. Terry Monkton and Andrew
Roberts are the key stakeh [more...]
Sally Corporation Our services include: Dark ride design & build; Redevelopment of existing attractions; High-quality [more...]
Taylor Made Designs Founded in 1993, Taylor Made
Designs supply corporate clothing
and brand-enhancing merchandise
to [more...]
IDEATTACK IDEATTACK is a full-service planning and
design company with headquarters in
Los Angeles. [more...]
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
