A €12m (US$12.7m, £10.2m) suspended family coaster is set to be the high point of Djurs Sommerland’s new Asian-themed zone, with the DrageKongen (Dragon King) ride the biggest single investment in the history of the Danish theme park.

“The coaster will be a family thrill ride with high speed and high forces,” Djurs Sommerland CEO, Henrik B Nielsen, told told Attractions Management. “The coaster will be the first – and next year, the only – ride in a new Asian themed part of the park which will be built over the next three or four years. The other rides in the area in the years to come will also be rides for the family.”

DrageKongen, slated to open in May next year, is being built by Intamin – the ride maker behind the park’s popular double launch coaster Juvelen, which opened in 2013. The new 30-metre-tall ride is being billed as the fastest and longest suspended family coaster in Europe, reaching 85kph over a 825-metre track length. The two-minute DrageKongen ride can hold up to 28 riders, with a throughput of 750 people per hour.

“This suspended family coaster is interesting for us,” Intamin executive vice president Sascha Czibulka told Attractions Management. “It’s special because although it’s targeted at a family audience the client also wanted to increase the excitement factor and push the envelope, in the same way we did Juvelen. The park is targeting the same group and looking for the same success. DrageKongen also has unique special features which will be revealed later.”

The Asian zone is the latest part of Djurs Sommerland’s ongoing improvement and expansion plans. The theme park has invested over €50m in the past 10 years, helping boost visitor numbers from 487,000 in 2007 to more than 800,000 in 2015. Dutch group Jora Entertainment, who worked on Djurs Sommerland’s new Bondegårdsland themed area, is working on the Asian zone.