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Attractions news: Dive Bahrain sinks Boeing 747 | 10 hour queues for Hagrid coaster

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attractions news: boeing 747 dive bahrain underwater theme park

Welcome to the blooloop briefing; a roundup of attractions news from the last seven days.

In the news this week – Dive Bahrain sinks Boeing 747 to create underwater theme park; Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened at Universal Orlando Resort to 10 hour queues; the world’s largest gamer theme park will be constructed in China and Cedar Fair has signed an agreement to acquire two Schlitterbahn water parks for $261 million.

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For a quick run through the week’s most eye-catching stories see our briefing video:

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Theme parks

CJ ENM is planning to build Asia’s largest entertainment industry theme park in Paju, South Korea. CJ ENM Contents World, a 210,000 sqm studio park, will consist of four zones, both indoor and outdoor.

The world’s largest gamer theme park will be constructed in China, roughly the size of a Six Flags Amusement Park, developed by ITEC Entertainment. Game publishers will have the opportunity to license their IPs for the attraction.

The top attractions in Europe have been unveiled at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Europe Gala Ceremony in Madeira. Winners at the red carpet reception included The Land of Legends Theme Park and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

CJ LiveCity Corporation and AEG have signed an agreement to build CJ LiveCity, which will include the Seoul Metropolitan Arena, as well as a studio complex, K-culture-themed entertainment district, and waterfront park.

Cedar Fair has signed a definitive agreement to acquire two iconic water parks and one resort in Texas – Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort New Braunfels and Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston – for $261 million.

Museums

MINE MONA

The Hirshhorn’s concept for a revitalized Sculpture Garden has been approved. The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has conceived a new space to enhance the visitor experience with art and programmes.

Mine, a new exhibition from Simon Denny, has opened at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), featuring new sculptures, a giant board game and AR. Mine acts as a ‘theme park to extraction’, according to Denny.

San Francisco’s de Young Museum has collaborated with Google Arts & Culture on Google Lens, which allows visitors to discover the stories behind paintings. Using Google Lens, visitors can search what they see.

The British Museum and Samsung have renewed their partnership on the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre (SDDC) for another five years. As part of the new agreement, the museum’s SDDC will undergo a major refit.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has created an interactive art-inspired mini golf course in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. ‘Art Course’ has nine hole designs with a fresh interpretation of artworks in the museum’s collection.

Technology

Sony Pictures Entertainment is partnering with VR startup Dreamscape on a Men in Black VR experience. The Men in Black VR experience will take place at Dreamscape’s flagship location at Westfield Century City, California.

Two Bit Circus are hosting a series of esports tournaments at their Micro-Amusement Park in LA, with a curated lineup of games from popular titles like Fortnite and Super Smash Bros., to indie favourites like Killer Queen.

Circus Roncalli in Germany is using holograms instead of live animal performers. Since 2018, Circus Roncalli has featured no live animals, only holographic projections with 360° visibility for the entire audience.

The University of Oxford will showcase art created by the world’s first ultra-realistic AI humanoid robot artist, Ai-Da. The exhibition will present a selection of Ai-Da’s artwork, including drawing, painting, sculpture and video art.

New attractions

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

As Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened at Universal Orlando Resort, guests waited up to 10 hours to ride the immersive, Harry Potter-themed ‘story coaster’.

After the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disneyland Resort is moving ahead with its next expansion. The city of Anaheim has approved building permits for a Marvel-themed land at California Adventure Park.

The operation to sink a 70-metre Boeing 747 – the largest aircraft ever to be submerged – is underway in Bahrain waters as part of an underwater theme park. The aircraft is expected to rest at a depth of approximately 24 metres.

Dadasaheb Phalke Nagar in Goregaon, known as Film City, is set to become a world-class tourist hotspot in Mumbai. The five-year renovation project is expected to cost between ₹25 crore ($3.5m) and ₹50 crore ($7.1m).

Barcelona City Council has finally granted the Antoni Gaudí-designed Sagrada Familia its first building permit, meaning it can now be completed. The Basilica of the Sagrada Família has been under construction for 137 years.

Madame Tussauds is hosting open auditions in search of one talented individual to appear in its new global Marvel 4D film experience, an immersive attraction using 3D film technology and special effects, premiering in 2020.

Business and management

PortAventura is investing €11 million in expanding its Convention Center to accommodate up to 6,000 people. The addition of more than 6,000 sqm will take the Convention Center to 20,000 sqm with 24 rooms.

Village Roadshow has named Clark Kirby as CEO, replacing current Chief Executive Graham Burke from January 1. The cinema and theme park operator has also announced a boardroom shuffle.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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