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The truly large theme parks have until now been located outside Europe, particularly in North America and Asia. In Europe, the clear leader is Disneyland Paris, followed by Port Aventura World in Salou (Spain) and Europapark in Rust, Germany.
But European theme park giants will soon face serious competition. Universal Destinations & Experiences, operator of Universal parks in Hollywood (USA), Orlando (USA), Osaka (Japan), Beijing (China) and Sentosa (Singapore), has confirmed plans for a European Universal park.
This is likely to be done in the UK. Universal has reportedly purchased 202 hectares of land in the village of Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire. It’s about 1.5 hours’ drive north of central London. It takes just 45 minutes from London Luton International Airport, which serves from Zurich, among others.
Universal has also already reserved the domain name “universalresortgreatbritain.com,” as evidenced by the “Orlando Park-Stop” theme park blog. However, official approval and opening date are still pending. Rumors are floating around theme park forums that it will open around 2030.
New themed worlds for Harry Potter and Minion fans
Universal is considered the Disney Group’s most important competitor. Well-known Universal films that are also used as attractions in theme parks include the “Jurassic Park” series, “Back to the Future” or, more recently, “Despicable Me” with the popular Minions.
Theme parks also feature licensed attractions related to the Harry Potter movies or The Simpsons comic book series. There are also several attractions featuring Nintendo characters or Marvel heroes, including Transformers. However, now that Disney has secured all rights to Marvel characters, this license has no long-term future.
It’s still not entirely clear which attractions and trains will arrive near London. Would a Harry Potter world like the one at Universal Studios in Orlando be competitive or complementary? – to the nearby “Harry Potter Studio Tour”. This major London attraction currently offers day tours from the city center to the Warner Bros studios in Watford, north of the city.
Theme parks are popular
The potential of the new theme park is huge. Universal Studio Orlando alone receives almost 11 million visitors each year, most of them from abroad. This is despite competition from five Disney resorts, Legoland and other nearby properties. Disneyland Paris usually gets around 10 million visitors a year, while Europa Park has just over 5 million.
Guests from Europe and abroad will be able to easily access a park in London. But Universal hasn’t had much luck in Europe so far: “Universal Port Aventura” only existed from 1999 to 2005; today it belongs to the Caixa banking group. Plans for Universal Studios in Paris, Krefeld (Germany) and Moscow were never implemented.
Universal won’t miss the opportunity in London. Signs already point to expansion – but primarily in the US. A fourth Universal theme park, “Epic Universe,” is being built in Orlando, and an all-new theme park for young children, “Universal Kids Resort,” will soon be added in Frisco, Texas. And Universal is building a horror theme park in Las Vegas.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
