Short and Sweet
Seasonal waterparks are making a splash in Europe, but how do they do it?
by Juliana Gilling
If your season lasted fewer than 100 days, could you turn a profit? In Northern Europe, seasonal waterparks are doing so, in spite of short summers and fickle weather.
Known as the “Summerlands,” these parks are a Scandinavian phenomenon, set up in the 1970s and 1980s to provide leisure activities in the summertime. Denmark’s Fårup Sommerland was the first to open in 1975 and provides a pay-oneprice destination that now offers everything from rowing boats to roller coasters. “We are the fifth biggest park in Denmark, after Tivoli Gardens, the Bakken (Dyrehavsbakken), Copenhagen Zoo, and Legoland Billund,” says director Søren Kragelund.
In 1989 Fårup Sommerland opened an integral waterpark, Aquapark, to enhance the visitor experience and differentiate Fårup from the competing Sommerlands springing up in Denmark. The impact was immediate, says Kragelund: “In the peak days of the old Fårup Sommerland—around 1984/85—we had 350,000 guests. That dropped to 250,000 guests. When we opened the outdoor waterpark, we increased by 80,000 guests.”
Last year Fårup Sommerland attracted 607,000 guests (up from 595,000 in 2009), which is surprising given its location in the sparsely populated area of Jutland on Denmark’s west coast.
What Jutland does have is a strong tourism tradition, “although the tourism season only lasts from May to September,” says Kragelund. Taking the chilly Danish spring into account, Aquapark has a shorter season than the dry park, opening in week 26 (end of June) and closing in week 36 (early September) when Fårup Sommerland closes. Ticket prices are around $38 per guest (children under three get in free).
Fårup’s waterpark is an attractive alternative to the North Sea, which can be a little too rough or too cold for families vacationing in the area. “People come to us because they can swim in a controlled environment and have fun in the rest of the park too,” says Kragelund.
An initial €2 million (US$2.8 million) spend on Aquapark, supplemented by ongoing investment, has boosted Fårup’s reputation for providing value for money and its capacity. “The waterpark is an easy way to occupy 4,000- 5,000 people and provides us with the capacity to handle a third of our guests when we have sunshine. You can buy much more outdoor waterpark than coaster for your money. We feel it’s a very good solution, and we don’t understand why the Germans, the English, and the Dutch are so eager to go indoors,” says Kragelund.
Can’t Stop the Rain
Yet rain remains an issue for seasonal outdoor waterparks. Fårup Sommerland had a “lousy, cold, and wet summer” through the end of July, according to Kragelund.
Norway’s biggest waterpark, Bø Sommarland, has faced the same challenge this year: “It has been a bad season, with rain almost 75 percent of the opening days so far (to late July). We are 25 percent behind on attendance; we were expecting 155,000 visitors and we do not know how many we can recover in our last two and a half weeks,” says Bernt Gunnar Berntsen, managing director of Bø Sommarland.
The waterpark’s season runs from the second week of June to the second week of August: “I think 70 operating days are on the limit of making this business feasible,” says Berntsen. Tickets start from NOK295/€36 (US$55), with free entry for guests under 95 cm (37.4 inches).
Bø Sommarland, which was acquired from local owners by Parques Reunidos in 2006, has attracted 4.8 million visitors in total since opening in 1985. Despite the latest setbacks and the short season, the business has worked well over the past three years, says Berntsen: “But the weather has a great impact on the result. So we will think about indoor or dry attractions if the unstable summer weather continues.” It’s little wonder that the biggest competition for Scandinavian parks comes from package holidays to warmer, sunnier Mediterranean countries.
Fårup Sommerland is considering adding indoor elements to its mix—facilities that could be opened or closed as the weather allows. Renewing attractions is a big factor in the success of seasonal waterparks, which depend largely on repeat visitors (returning guests account for 82 percent of Fårup Sommerland’s visitors). New attractions at Fårup’s Aquapark for 2011 include a 153-meter family raft ride and Aquaplay structure from WhiteWater West. Bø Sommarland invests in a major attraction every third year.
In Sweden, the Nobelius family’s careful investment in Leksand Sommarland since its debut in 1984 has enabled the park to grow, while other Sommarlands with too much faith in their earnings potential have failed. Like Fårup Sommerland, the Swedish park combines waterpark and amusement park attractions. Last year Leksand Sommarland had 100,000 visitors and park manager Mats Nobelius expects the “same or 5 percent more” visitors in 2011. Day tickets cost SEK290 (US$45), two-day tickets SEK450 (US$70), and there are weekly and season tickets (children under 1 meter (39.4 inches) go free).
Situated northwest of Stockholm in a busy tourism area, Leksand Sommarland opens for 72 days, with its peak season running from July 10 to Aug. 10: “In those four weeks, we will earn approximately 80 percent of total revenue. It often rains two of those weeks and sometimes all four,” says Nobelius, the second generation of his family to manage the park.
“Our company has learned how to bet on the right activities at the right cost,” he says, even if that means creating homemade attractions. The park’s popular whitewater rafting experience is built from concrete: “It is 300 meters (984 feet) long and cost SEK1.5 million (US$230,000); a finished plastic one would have cost SEK6-8 million (US$1.2 million),” says Nobelius.
Flexibility, Guest Service Are Keys to Maximizing Short Seasons
A park with a short season, unpredictable weather, and relatively few visitors like Leksand Sommarland must do everything possible to increase average sales per person. “Last year we earned around SEK300 on average (US$46-50), which is very high compared to large parks. We focus on offering customers many choices in everything: food, candy, ice cream, tickets, and activities. It is very important to have flexible staff and flexible schedules,” says Nobelius.
Kragelund values flexibility, too, and believes Fårup Sommerland’s training program and team are crucial to managing seasonal attendance swings. Fårup’s daily attendance can vary from 2,000 to 18,000 guests, with guests moving between the dry park and the waterpark.
“We run everything in the park, so we can move staff to the shops, restaurants, queue lines, and the waterpark as needed. Around 75 percent of staff come back every year, and we always evaluate the satisfaction of our guests, so we can see who is worth taking on to the next season,” says Kragelund. He believes guest service is where smaller parks can match branded, big-budget parks.
Looking to the future, both Fårup Sommerland and Leksand Sommarland plan to expand their accommodations; longer stays mean more opportunities to increase guest spending. Fårup has permission for a new hotel in 2014. Nobelius aims to build 200-300 modern family tents at Leksand Sommarland, starting with 100 in 2012, to address the lack of beds in the area. Nobelius wants Leksand Sommarland to be ready as more people book short breaks based on real-time weather forecasts on their smartphones. Tents are an affordable and attractive option, especially when combined with entrance tickets, food, activities, and late-night openings at the park, Nobelius believes.
It’s about creating the whole package, says Kragelund: “We didn’t just think, ‘We’re going to increase the guests by such and such,’ when we built our waterpark. We’re always saying, ‘What are we missing in the park to give families the best experience of having fun together?’ That’s what will make people want to stay longer and want to visit the park again.”
Juliana Gilling is a specialist attractions journalist. E-mail: julianagilling@gmail.com.
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