coastered Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 In week when the Paramount Pictures theme park project at Alhama de Murcia has not been far from the front pages of the regional and national news, it could be prudent to look to Spain's other theme parks to see if any lessons can be learned. Earlier this week a number of Madrid based newspapers reported how the C3a train line between Pinto and San Martin de la Vega in Madrid, and which serves the Parque Warner theme park, will close before the summer season citing a lack of demand. The line opened in 2002 at a cost of €85 Million, and costs the regional government €3.3 Million per day to operate. The transport authorities note how the line, which is also used by commuters, serves an average of just 190 passengers per day. Maths Check : Av 190 passengers x 356 Days = 69'350 Passengers per year. €3'300'000 Divided by 69'350 Passengers = €47.59 Cost per passenger. Average ticket cost Central Madrid > Parque Warner = €5.00 Average financial loss per passenger = €42.58 The total investment by the regional government in the Park itself was also €160 Million, and this latest move has increased speculation that park may be about to close it's doors for good. Sevilla's Isla Magica and Benidorm's Terra Mitica have also been cursed with massive losses, with only Tarragona's Port Aventura park returning a healthy operating profit. Paramount Theme Park in Murcia is situated in a more convenient location for many tourists, with added benefits including new infrastructure (by way of the soon to be open Corvera airport , and promised connections with the AVE) aswell as having the proximity to the beaches and the climate. Let's hope that this works in favour of park, and that the investors, speculators and enthusiastic observers are not disappointed with yet another Spanish theme park cock-up. Source: http://www.tumbit.com/news/articles/5050-madrids-parque-warner-rumoured-to-close.html
Werner Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 Iff this is true, it's a big loss for the themepark industry is Spain. But I didn't expext it to be a huge hit from the start. It's a great park, and i could fit in Orlando by me. But instead it was build near Madrid. Why? It's in to middle of nowhere. And i don't recall that many tourists visit Madrid when in Spain. It would be a true loss, but it's also a good lesson for the right park in just the wrong location!
Noxegon Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 The line opened in 2002 at a cost of €85 Million, and costs the regional government €3.3 Million per day to operate. I think "per year" might be slightly more accurate. Otherwise you're looking at €17,368 per passenger journey, which seems a tiny bit expensive to me, even for a train. For what it's worth, I can't see this park closing. Every time I've been there it has been very crowded indeed.
marocg Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 I do not remember where I read it, but the train service will be replaced by a bus! I do not think that the park closes!
BDG Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 I doubt it will close. Worst case scenario: the park could get rid of the expensive WB theme and maybe scale down a little.
SharkTums Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 Was there any actual evidence that the park is closing or losing a lot of money? Just because an out of the way train line isn't doing well I don't think that directly correlates to the park closing down. There were plenty of buses and cars there when we've visited in the past.
larrygator Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) Was there any actual evidence that the park is closing or losing a lot of money? Just because an out of the way train line isn't doing well I don't think that directly correlates to the park closing down. There were plenty of buses and cars there when we've visited in the past. Elissa - I read a similar article (that I can no longer find) and the rumors of closure sounded like opinion on the part of the writer. Edited March 17, 2012 by larrygator
XYZ Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 This would be really sad news for Spain as this seems to be one of the best parks in the country. Though, I doubt it will close as a train line won't cause a park to shut down.
robbalvey Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 What ever happened to our super-rumor mega-thread? Seems like a perfect contender for that....
Hhappy Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) This was actually also posted there (in the super-rumor-thread) http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1158016#p1158016 let's continue there Edited March 17, 2012 by Hhappy
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