(eap) After 36 years, Arnaud Bennett (l.), head of the French animal and leisure park Le PAL, has handed over his position – and thus passed the baton to the next generation. Since January 1, 2026, the park has been led by his eldest son Charles (...) read more
(eap) The holiday resort Tropical Islands in Krausnick (Brandenburg, Germany), operated by the Spanish Parques Reunidos group, has expanded its offering with two new mascots. The two characters were developed by Euro Mascots / Fun Experts GmbH. The (...) read more
(eap) The leadership trio of the Munich-based consulting and operating company GMF, consisting of Harald Gabriel, Thomas Meier (l.) and Michael Bäuml (r.), has been strengthened: as of 1 January 2026, Markus Reinalter (m.) has joined the management (...) read more
(eap) The Europa-Park Erlebnis-Resort in Rust surpassed the threshold of seven million visitors in a single year for the first time in the past 2025 season – fittingly coinciding with the celebrations marking the park’s 50th “birthday”. This record (...) read more
(eap) The Limes-Thermen in Aalen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) are looking back on a successful year 2025. In the year of its 40th anniversary, the thermal spa recorded 262,695 visitors. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of (...) read more
(eap) The cruise line Norwegian Cruise Line® (NCL) has recently opened the first enhancements for guests on its private Bahamian island Great Stirrup Cay, which had been announced last year. While the Great Tides Waterpark featuring 19 water slides (...) read more
(eap) The Austrian Doppelmayr Group has been selected to implement the new “Cablebús Línea 5” – one of the most significant mobility projects in Mexico City. With a length of 15.2 kilometers and twelve stations, the system is set to become the (...) read more
(eap) The cruise line Royal Caribbean International opened its latest exclusive destination at the end of December: the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Covering an area of nearly 17-acre and located close to the cruise port of (...) read more
(eap) Since Tuesday – and continuing through this evening – CES 2026 has been taking place in Las Vegas. Once again, the US consumer electronics trade show serves as a stage for product premieres and technological innovations that aim to set new (...) read more
(eap) Nottingham-based, family-run operator Mellors Group has acquired the Lightwater Valley amusement park in Ripon, North Yorkshire. The group plans to make significant investments in the site and to expand the current visitor offering, which is (...) read more
(eap) Adventure Park Geelong has put two new water slides into operation – just in time for the 2025/26 summer season. The new additions opened at the end of last year and increase the Australian water park’s attraction portfolio to a total of 23 (...) read more
(eap) The Parc Bagatelle, located in Merlimont in northern France (Hauts-de-France region), has recently unveiled details of its new attraction for the 2026 season. As park director Sacha Marguerite announced, the upcoming season – set to begin on (...) read more
(eap) The leisure park MagicLand in Valmontone, near Rome, has announced a partnership with the Canadian wooden roller coaster company Martin & Vleminckx (MV Rides) to open – according to its own statement – the “first wooden roller coaster in the (...) read more
(eap) The IST University of Applied Sciences, based in Düsseldorf, Germany, is offering a free webinar on the topic of live entertainment on Tuesday, 20 January 2026 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.). Under the title “From Plan to Stage – How Concert Promoters (...) read more
(eap) The first major theme park flagship of the Saudi Arabian megaproject Qiddiya City has commenced operations: Six Flags Qiddiya City celebrated its official opening on December 31, 2025. Located around 60 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, the park (...) read more
(eap) The members of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) – the international association representing creatives in the leisure and entertainment industry – have elected Stephen Thomas Cavit as President-Elect of the TEA International Board. (...) read more
(eap) Six Flags Entertainment Corporation recently announced that it would not exercise its contractually agreed call option to acquire the remaining non-controlling partner interests in the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington, Texas. (...) read more
(eap) Since 1 January 2026, Germany’s Klimahaus Bremerhaven has been operated as a non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH). Since its opening in 2009 (see EAP 6/2009), the institution has welcomed more than seven million visitors. With the (...) read more
(eap) Among the new products and solutions developed specifically for the leisure and attractions industry, a wide range of interesting innovations can be found, including from suppliers. At the recent IAAPA Expo in Orlando, not only new ride (...) read more
(eap) While above-ground and civil engineering works at the construction site of the new Pantanal Aviary at Zurich Zoo are on schedule, steel construction work has come to a standstill. According to the zoo, the steel construction company involved (...) read more
