WhiteWater, a leading waterpark manufacturer, is celebrating a number of completed projects around the world this year, with many more developments underway. Projects across the firm’s water park, water ride, and surf divisions will be opening during 2023.
“We’re proud to have over 60 new projects that have either already opened or are expected to open this year,” said Onno Meeter, president of water parks. “From pushing the boundaries with record breakers and bringing world-class attractions to new markets to supplying to some of the most trusted brands in leisure, WhiteWater’s expertise is helping parks to succeed in different environments.”
New attractions in EMEA
In Europe, WhiteWater is continuing to collaborate with leading brands. For instance, water parks will be opening on two new cruise ships, Carnival Jubilee and MSC Euribia. There will be a new slide addition to Center Parcs Le Bois aux Daims in Morton, France and Aqualand Moravia in Pasohlávky, Czechia will open a new indoor play area featuring the firm’s AquaForms 400.
“WhiteWater’s European office is having a very busy 2023 working on several large projects set to open next year, including the highly anticipated water park at Liseberg,” says Rainer Maelzer, president, WhiteWater ERA GmbH. “We are especially looking forward to testing waves later this year in Munich at Europe’s first Endless Surf pool at SURFTOWN MUC.”
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, WhiteWater has contributed to projects in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, all set to open in the next few years. The region has a reputation for being at the cutting edge of location-based entertainment, and these projects will include feats of engineering, design, and construction.
Growing markets in APAC
WhiteWater recently celebrated the opening of a new indoor water park at Studio City in Macau, part of the attraction’s phase 2 expansion. The building is a modern take on the Art Deco style and the firm provided water slides with custom metallic finishes and fiberglass to match both this style and the water park’s space travel theme. Here, visitors can enjoy a first-ever next-generation Master Blaster with a continuous loop path.
Elsewhere, Mana Bay is opening the biggest water park in Bangladesh and Wahoo Waterworld opened the biggest water park in West Java, Indonesia. Waterbom Bali is getting ready for an expansion to its venue in Indonesia too: firstly a tower with four water slides and then an AquaFortress, the world’s largest AquaForms modular aquatic play structure.
In Singapore, HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir is opening a new water park with Singapore’s longest indoor water slide. WhiteWater also has projects opening in both Australia and New Zealand.
Top entertainment experiences in the US
Island Waterpark, the world’s biggest indoor beachfront water park, is coming to Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This will feature 11 water slides as well as two AquaForms aquatic play structures and a FlowRider Double, attracting new visitors to the city. Hattiesburg Zoo in Mississippi will also add a new waterpark, Serengeti Springs, home to a FusionFortress 10, a giant animal-themed multi-level aquatic play structure with nine slides and two tipping buckets.
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Round Rock in Texas is expanding its outdoor water park with a new kids’ area. This features fibreglass veil designs on the water slides in keeping with the “Bugs Burrow” theme. Another advance in fibreglass will be on show at Wilderness at the Smokies, Tennessee, as the park’s new Master Blaster will be the first slide in the world to include Reverse AquaLucent patterns.
Other well-known brands in entertainment and hospitality are set to open new projects with WhiteWater. Six Flags America’s Hurricane Harbor Maryland will unveil the tallest Master Blaster in the Mid-Atlantic, Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will open a new RainFortress 5, and Six Flags White Water in Georgia will open a custom AquaPlay 750.
In addition, guests at Legoland New York will be able to discover a new AquaPlay 1050 and guests at JW Marriott Grande Lakes are already enjoying a new slide tower, designed to help the resort keep guests on-site for longer.
New rides and upgrades
As well as opening new attractions, WhiteWater’s performance services team provides parts, service, and maintenance support with the care and in-depth product expertise of the OEM. This year, there are significant renovation and modernization projects for water parks at LEGOLAND, Wild Wadi, and Yas Waterworld.
At the end of 2022 the River Raft Ride and Super Flume that opened at VinWonders Phu Quoc, the biggest theme park in Vietnam. As part of its mission to engage both domestic and international guests with world-class attractions, the park incorporated these two water rides into a faraway lands theme.
The water rides team not only creates brand-new attractions but also repairs existing ones and makes new boats.
For instance, Emerald Park in Ireland has improved operations and increased capacity on its Viking Voyage ride by installing a fleet of brand-new Super Flume boats. River Raft Ride boats for Lake Compounce in Connecticut, Shoot the Chute boats for Michigan’s Adventures, and Log Flume boats for Castle Park in California are also on the way. All of these vehicles have undergone re-engineering for simpler maintenance, increased toughness, and greater passenger comfort.
“We’re very happy to see investments in leisure picking back up to pre-pandemic levels,” says Doug Smith, global head of sales. “These new project openings not only demonstrate the resilience of the attractions industry, but they are also a preview of the innovations to come in the next few years as well as the high standards clients expect to work with.”
Last year, WhiteWater celebrated winning three Brass Ring Awards at IAAPA Expo 2022 in Orlando.
