Aquatic play helps keep kids happy, resulting in higher spend from families. WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some of the attractions using aquatic play to bring in more visitors and increase spend
The Nickeloden-themed Aqua Nick waterpark in Cancun, Mexico / Photo: WhiteWater
Kids are always looking for opportunities to play. That’s why restaurants have crayons at the ready — they know the secret to higher spend is to keep children occupied so the entire family can stay longer to enjoy more food and drinks.
Aquatic play helps different venues keep kids happy. The ultimate playground for both children and adults, these multi-level play structures offer a myriad of paths for guests to explore and whimsical elements to discover. They could go down a waterslide, spray each other from interactive features, or giddily wait for the tipping bucket to spill over on their heads.
Because aquatic play keeps children engaged and families on-site longer, it may come as little surprise that it’s found in many different venue types.
Diversifying Mixed-Use Developments Long known for its casinos, Macau is now aiming to become a family entertainment hub for China’s Greater Bay Area. Centered in the heart of it all is Studio City, a mixed-use development that includes a hotel, a theatre, a shopping mall, restaurants and amusements, as well as the region’s first waterpark.
Open to both hotel and non-hotel guests, Studio City Water Park features an AquaPlay 1750, which serves an important role in the entire development. Whether families split up to try different slides or parents leave older kids some free time while they shop or try their luck in the casino, AquaPlay 1750 creates a central meeting point due to its eye-catching build. Strategically located next to lounge chairs, the AquaPlay unit provides families a place to come back together after a day of exploring the park.
Building an Icon at the Zoo Even in the educational setting of zoos and aquariums, aquatic play can be found to offer interactive fun and attract guests. Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, for example, uses an AquaPlay 550 as a cost-effective way to add value to its venue in the summer. With an instantaneous capacity of over 180 guests, this multi-level play structure is an integral part of its Cool Zoo waterpark.
The most striking element of the park is the giant white alligator climbing the play structure. Towering over three metres (11 feet) above the ground, it’s inspired by the zoo’s famous resident and takes its place outside the Louisiana Swamp exhibit. The white alligator sculpture was hand carved by WhiteWater’s professional artists to create an image synonymous with the zoo. This image is also used to help drive demand by building excitement before guests even step foot inside.
Boost Hotels & Resorts Revpar The hotel sector has similarly been taking advantage of aquatic play to help boost occupancy and RevPAR.
To capitalise on their investment, it’s important that properties look at the ride mix and form a plan that caters for different demographics. That’s why Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Riviera Maya built not one, but two aquatic play structures at their Aqua Nick waterpark in Mexico.
Using brands from Nickelodeon, the waterpark built a Paw Patrol-themed AquaPlay 200 and a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed RainFortress 5 to ensure the entire family had something they could enjoy. Perfect for the youngest members of the family, the smaller AquaPlay 200 has a pool size of 181sq m (1,950sq ft) so little ones can develop confidence on smaller slides before working their way up to larger attractions.
On the other hand, RainFortress 5 has nearly double the pool size and over four times the number of features as AquaPlay 200, so older kids also have their choice between exciting slides and cause-and-effect interactives, and they get splashed by larger volumes of water.
Bring Play to Your Venue Whether you have a hundred square meters or a hundred square acres, aquatic play is a great addition to attract guests and extend their length of stay.
With the largest range of multi-level play structures in the industry, the WhiteWater team can tailor a solution for you that makes sense for your site and budget.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy, resulting in higher spend from families. WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some of the attractions using aquatic play to bring in more visitors and increase spend
The Nickeloden-themed Aqua Nick waterpark in Cancun, Mexico / Photo: WhiteWater
Kids are always looking for opportunities to play. That’s why restaurants have crayons at the ready — they know the secret to higher spend is to keep children occupied so the entire family can stay longer to enjoy more food and drinks.
Aquatic play helps different venues keep kids happy. The ultimate playground for both children and adults, these multi-level play structures offer a myriad of paths for guests to explore and whimsical elements to discover. They could go down a waterslide, spray each other from interactive features, or giddily wait for the tipping bucket to spill over on their heads.
Because aquatic play keeps children engaged and families on-site longer, it may come as little surprise that it’s found in many different venue types.
Diversifying Mixed-Use Developments Long known for its casinos, Macau is now aiming to become a family entertainment hub for China’s Greater Bay Area. Centered in the heart of it all is Studio City, a mixed-use development that includes a hotel, a theatre, a shopping mall, restaurants and amusements, as well as the region’s first waterpark.
Open to both hotel and non-hotel guests, Studio City Water Park features an AquaPlay 1750, which serves an important role in the entire development. Whether families split up to try different slides or parents leave older kids some free time while they shop or try their luck in the casino, AquaPlay 1750 creates a central meeting point due to its eye-catching build. Strategically located next to lounge chairs, the AquaPlay unit provides families a place to come back together after a day of exploring the park.
Building an Icon at the Zoo Even in the educational setting of zoos and aquariums, aquatic play can be found to offer interactive fun and attract guests. Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, for example, uses an AquaPlay 550 as a cost-effective way to add value to its venue in the summer. With an instantaneous capacity of over 180 guests, this multi-level play structure is an integral part of its Cool Zoo waterpark.
The most striking element of the park is the giant white alligator climbing the play structure. Towering over three metres (11 feet) above the ground, it’s inspired by the zoo’s famous resident and takes its place outside the Louisiana Swamp exhibit. The white alligator sculpture was hand carved by WhiteWater’s professional artists to create an image synonymous with the zoo. This image is also used to help drive demand by building excitement before guests even step foot inside.
Boost Hotels & Resorts Revpar The hotel sector has similarly been taking advantage of aquatic play to help boost occupancy and RevPAR.
To capitalise on their investment, it’s important that properties look at the ride mix and form a plan that caters for different demographics. That’s why Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Riviera Maya built not one, but two aquatic play structures at their Aqua Nick waterpark in Mexico.
Using brands from Nickelodeon, the waterpark built a Paw Patrol-themed AquaPlay 200 and a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed RainFortress 5 to ensure the entire family had something they could enjoy. Perfect for the youngest members of the family, the smaller AquaPlay 200 has a pool size of 181sq m (1,950sq ft) so little ones can develop confidence on smaller slides before working their way up to larger attractions.
On the other hand, RainFortress 5 has nearly double the pool size and over four times the number of features as AquaPlay 200, so older kids also have their choice between exciting slides and cause-and-effect interactives, and they get splashed by larger volumes of water.
Bring Play to Your Venue Whether you have a hundred square meters or a hundred square acres, aquatic play is a great addition to attract guests and extend their length of stay.
With the largest range of multi-level play structures in the industry, the WhiteWater team can tailor a solution for you that makes sense for your site and budget.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
