Construction of Ferrari Land reaches midway point to April 2017 opening
Ferrari Land, the international brand’s first theme park in Europe, is closer to its opening in Vila-Seca, a town in the southern Catalan region of Tarragona. Over the next few weeks the operators will carry out the urbanisation of 60,000 square metres of the amusement resort, located next to the Port Aventura theme park. Ferrari Land represented a €100 million investment and will include simulators, shops, restaurants, as well as replicas of Italian buildings. However, one of its main attractions will be ‘Cavallino Rampante’, Europe’s tallest rollercoaster, reaching 112 metres high. The attraction should allow visitors to feel the acceleration experienced by a F1 driver, reaching 180 km/h in 5 seconds.Ferrari Land is set to increase by 20% the number of visitors to Port Aventura, which will break all records achieved since it opened in May 1995.
Vila-Seca (CNA) - One year after the beginning of its construction, the new theme park Ferrari Land is progressing according to schedule and will start its activity coinciding with the new season of Port Aventura in Vila-Seca, a town located in the Tarragona region, in the south of Catalonia. The operators have completed the land conditioning and foundations. Currently they are working on the buildings and also on the installation of eight rides. “We are going as planned”, stated the Development Manager of Port Aventura, Luis Valencia, during his recent visit to Ferrari Land. The theme park has an investment of €100 million and over the next few weeks the operators will carry out the urbanisation of 60,000 square metres. Port Aventura World Parks & Resorts expects to attract an extra million visitors per year following its opening.
Ferrari Land will be separate from the Port Aventura theme park. Even so, the Italian theme park will be part of the Port Aventura World Parks & Resorts, together with Port Aventura and Costa Caribe Aquatic Park. The construction will be finished by the end of the year, when the company will start to sell tickets. People will be able to buy them only for Ferrari Land or also combined with the other two parks.
The Cavallino Rampante, the tallest rollercoaster in Europe
Testing of the Cavallino Rampante will start in June. A huge crane has hoisted a nine-ton Ferrari race team shield, called the Cavallino Rampante (“prancing horse”), which is 12 metres tall by nine metres wide, at the entrance to the rollercoaster. With a capacity of 1,200 passengers per hour, it will be the main attraction of Ferrari Land.
The Cavallino Rampante will accelerate from 0 to 180 kilometres per hour in five seconds. It has a height of 112 metres, to which people will rise and later drop sharply over 30 seconds. It will be the tallest rollercoaster in Europe. “Everybody will want to simulate how a F1 driver feels”, explained Luis Valencia. Family, friends and curious observers will be able to see the emotional ride in a spectator stand near the Cavallino Rampante.
Economic impact
The second Ferrari Land in the world - Abu Dhabi hosts the first one - will create 150 jobs by means of its activity. Its investment exceeds 100 million euros and the organising company wants to attract both families and F1 fans across Europe with its installations, which will include shops and restaurants.
Ferrari Land - which will have its own luxury hotel in a future second phase - expects to reach five million visitors and more than one million overnight stays annually, largely due to the potential of the Ferrari brand to attract tourists from traditional markets like France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, among others.
In 2015, four million people came to Port Aventura World and more than 800,000 stayed overnight, according to the ex-Director of Port Aventura, Luis Herault. So, Ferrari Land would increase by 20% the number of visitors to the resort, breaking all records achieved since it opened in May 1995.