Center Parcs and the theme parks relations
Anyone still remembering the concept of the “Nature Villages” to be added to the Disneyland Resort Paris? Announced officialy as a potential concept on May 19, 2003 by EuroDisney S.C.A. jointly with Pierre et Vacances the “Nature Villages” was supposed to be a magical combination of the big draws of the resort and its offerings with the typical features of “short break resorts” such as Center Parcs and Gran Dorado resorts, both chains operated by Pierre et Vacances (for details check out our extensive report from 2003 over on DLP.info). In the meantime it has become rather quiet around this concept.
But it seems Pierre et Vacances still sees the advantages of combining its “short break resorts” (read now: Center Parcs) with a theme park…
At least that is my understanding as I found a news report from late 2007 on the website of the EuroAmusement Professional Trade Magazine, which reports that the operators of the three Plopsa theme / amusement parks in Belgium will build and operate a new Plopsa Park next to the Center Parcs location De Huttenheugte (close to Coevorden). The operators of teh Plopsa parks see a huge opportunity for themselves here and for their first ever Plopsa Park in the Netherlands, as the Center Parcs De Huttenheugte even without the Plopsa Park averages already 200,000 guests per year (800,000 overnight stays) most of which are famileis with young children and are therefore part of the main target group of the Plopsa Parks. Also the new location as 4 millions locals living within one-hour-drive by car, while being sufficiently far enough from any of the other Plopsa Parks to avoid “group internal” competition.
Certainly the project is not as big of an international draw as the combination of the Nature Villages and the Disneyland Resort Paris would have been. But the new Plopsa Park according to the report is still supposed to have a size of 15,000 square meter, 10,000 of which will be covered. Leading them to expect about 300.000 guests per year. Also the big advantage for Center Parcs certainly is, that they are able to use their own brand, while the Nature Villages were NOT supposed to be branded as Center Parcs. Thus the project with Plopsa Parks might have a positive effect for the whole chain of Center Parcs that the project at the Disneyland Resort Paris would not have had. Also I assume the investment of Center Parcs into the Plopsa Parks (for which it functions as a partner) is notiveably lower than for the construction of the whole Nature Villages at DLRP. Makes one wonder what the impact on DLRP’s Nature Villages project will be like…
Finally a question to our readers in the Netherlands: the report mentions that construction should start in January 2008 allowing them to open the park around Christmas 2008 - but that was written in September 2007. Does anyone know, whether the project got actually under way??