Ferrari Land First stone ceremony in PortAventura Resort
Posted: 07.05.2015
Source: Ferrari
The President of Catalonia, Artur Mas, President of PortAventura Resort, Arturo Mas-Sardá, Team Principal of Ferrari F1 Team, Maurizio Arrivabene and the Ferrari F1 Team driver, Sebastian Vettel have taken part in the ceremony to lay the first stone, marking the start of building work for the theme park.
PortAventura, 7 May 2015.- This morning PortAventura Resort and Ferrari laid the first stone of Ferrari Land the most important project in PortAventura’s 20 years History. The ceremony marks the start of the construction of Ferrari Land. The ceremony was leaded by Artur Mas, President of Catalonia, Arturo Mas-Sardá, President of PortAventura Resort; Maurizio Arrivabene, Team Principal of Ferrari F1 Team; and the Ferrari F1 Team driver Sebastian Vettel, who made an impressive entrance driving a Ferrari car.
Ferrari offered two important elements for this ceremony: a symbolic F1 piston from 2014 (the same year of the agreement between PortAventura Resort and Ferrari) and the first stone itself, coming directly from Enzo Ferrari house in Maranello. The four conductors of the ceremony signed the first stone before fixing it in the place where this element will be exposed after the park opening. The box containing the first stone for the project also included other representative items such as a map of the future theme park and a local newspaper bearing the date of this historic day.
Maurizio Arrivabene, Team principal of Ferrari F1 Team commented: “Ferrari Land is a project that surely offer the opportunity to bring the Ferrari allure in Spain where there are a lot of supporters and fans. I’m sure Ferrari Land will further strengthen the Ferrari brand in the region, because it’s not only a project for Formula One supporters but for everybody. They will love it”.
Sergio Feder, PortAventura Executive Chairman, has highlighted that “From the outset, we have been clear about our intention to develop a long-term plan based on world-class international brands, with the aim of boosting the number of visitors and making PortAventura the best resort destination in Europe. We are very proud to be collaborating with an iconic brand like Ferrari that enjoys huge prestige across the planet and to be developing Ferrari Land Park together, exclusively for the whole of Europe.”
The famous actor and presenter Santi Millán acted as master of ceremonies and transmitted the vigour and energy of the celebrated “prancing horse”.
About Ferrari Land
Ferrari Land is PortAventura Resort’s take on the Ferrari myth. It is a tribute to the technological excellence of the brand and to Ferrari’s role as a hallmark of Italian genius. Combined with the references to Formula 1 and innovation that you might expect, visitors will also find aspects of traditional Italy and allusions to the early days of the founder of the brand, Enzo Ferrari.
Ferrari Land will offer a variety of themed attractions and areas specially design for families, teenagers and Ferrari fans. As in previous occasions, some of these attractions will set new records within its categories and will become global references for the theme parks fans.
About PortAventura
PortAventura Resort is one of Europe’s biggest destination resort. In its 20-year history it has welcomed almost 60 million visitors. With a prime location near Barcelona, Spain, the resort has four 4* themed hotels and one 5* hotel comprising a total of 2,100 rooms, plus a 4000-capacity convention centre. Right next to the resort are 3 golf courses designed by Greg Norman and a beach club with direct access to the Mediterranean shore. PortAventura also includes Europe’s leading theme park and water park, which feature a world-class range of rides and attractions. In addition, PortAventura Foundation has developed social projects with an investment of more than 5 million euros.
Ferrari Land, PortAventura Resort’s take on the spirit and passion of Ferrari
- The great challenge of the PortAventura development team was to integrate the essence of Ferrari into the identity of PortAventura Resort respecting the concept of “journey around the world” that characterizes PortAventura Parks.
- This new project will make PortAventura Resort a world class destination by the number of theme parks within a single resort (3).
- In 2017 the resort expects to receive more than 5 million visitors and over 1 million overnight stays.
- The new project, that will receive almost 100 million Euro investment from PortAventura, will cover an area of 75,000 m2 and have a unique design theme, uniting the Italian technology and tradition behind the Ferrari brand.
- Ferrari Land will be equipped with world-class attractions specially targeted at families while also offering adrenalin-charged activities for F1 fans such as high-end technology simulators.
PortAventura Resort, 7 May 2015 – The first stone of the Ferrari Land project has been laid today. This new theme park dedicated to the Prancing Horse (Cavallino Rampante) will add to the offering at PortAventura Resort, making it the destination with the highest number of theme parks (3) in Europe. This new park dedicated to Ferrari is expected to involve total investment close to 100 million Euros. Ferrari Land will cover an area of 75,000 square metres and offer a range of exciting attractions offering adrenalin and technology charged options for families mainly and fans of the Ferrari brand of all ages. The end of the building works of Ferrari Land is scheduled at the end of 2016.
This new partnership between Ferrari and PortAventura Resort will enable the latter to strengthen its leadership position among resort destinations in Europe and deliver an unbeatable experience to visitors. PortAventura Resort currently receives around 4 million visitors, 50% of which come from the international market.
Integration and differentiation
PortAventura Parks is above all a journey around the world. In their areas, visitors will discover the most traditional Mediterrània, the Polynesia of the great adventurers like Captain Cook, the imperial China, the Mexico of the Mayans, the wild Far West, or the familiar territory of SésamoAventura. The great challenge of the PortAventura development team was to create a project that faithfully reproduces the essence of Ferrari but always respecting the imaginary dream trips that characterizes PortAventura Parks. The link between the two has been Italy, the country of origin of Ferrari and simultaneously one of the most important destinations with a world cultural heritage.
Ferrari Land is PortAventura Resort’s take on the Ferrari myth. It is a tribute to the technological excellence of the brand and to Ferrari’s role as a hallmark of Italian genius. Combined with the references to Formula 1 and innovation that you might expect, visitors will also find aspects of traditional Italy and allusions to the early days of the founder of the brand, Enzo Ferrari.
The Italy represented in Ferrari Land includes iconic buildings from Maranello, the town where Ferrari has its headquarters, and also architectural references to the great monuments representing Italian genius. These allusions to Italy and Mediterranean culture link the new park to the rest of the resort and particularly to the PortAventura theme park, which already has an area dedicated to the Mediterranean, as well as to the design of PortAventura hotel, inspired by a Mediterranean villa. The new park will be located in the area close to the main entrance of PortAventura Park and near the aforementioned hotel.
We cannot forget that Ferrari symbolises above all a passion for technology and speed and these elements are highlighted at Ferrari Land in terms of thematic presentation and the attractions available. The PortAventura development team has been working closely with Ferrari in the planning and design of Ferrari Land.
Sergio Feder, PortAventura Executive Chairman, has highlighted that “From the outset, we have been clear about our intention to develop a long-term plan based on world-class international brands, with the aim of boosting the number of visitors and making PortAventura the best resort destination in Europe. We are very proud to be collaborating with an iconic brand like Ferrari that enjoys huge prestige across the planet and to be developing Ferrari Land Park together, exclusively for the whole of Europe.”
New world-class attractions
Ferrari Land will offer a variety of themed attractions and areas specially design for families, teenagers and Ferrari fans. As in previous occasions, some of these attractions will set new records within its categories and will become global references for the theme parks fans.
The vertical accelerator will be one of the big attractions of the new park. Manufactured by Intamin, the accelerator will be 112 metres tall, making it the highest roller coaster in Europe, beating Shambhala (76 metres) located at PortAventura Park. The accelerator will offer an amazing experience for fans of speed: passengers experience all the sensations of Formula 1, with acceleration of 180 km/h in just 5 seconds, equivalent to 1.35 G. They will be propelled vertically upwards instantly reaching 112 metres and then plummet straight down, at a maximum angle of 90 degrees.
The vertical accelerator will add to the long history of records that has characterized PortAventura Parks in its 20 years history: in 1995 it opened Dragon Khan, the rollercoaster with a higher number of loopings in the world (8). In 2007, it launched the fastest attraction in the world, Furius Baco. 2012 was the year of Shambala, actually the highest rollercoaster in Europe and 2013 marked the opening of King Khajuna at Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, the highest free fall slide in Europe.
The impact of Ferrari Land on PortAventura Resort
Ferrari Land is, without doubt, the single most important project in the history of PortAventura Resort. Never before has the resort made investment of this order in one single project. More than 50 companies will be involved in the different stages of the project and, when the park is open, it is expected to create up to 150 jobs (direct and indirect).
Once Ferrari Land has opened, PortAventura Resort expects to reach 5 million visits per year, largely thanks to the potential of the Ferrari brand to attract international visitors from traditional markets such as France, the United Kingdom or Russia, but also from new countries such as Germany, Benelux, Italy or Scandinavia. Positive impacts are also expected in the hotel sector, with over 1 million overnight stays per year.
Ferrari Land, like PortAventura Park and Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, will be an organic project that continues to develop over the next few years.
PortAventura Resort: an expansion strategy
In recent years, PortAventura Resort has implemented a constant expansion strategy with the aim of making the resort a leading holiday destination in Europe. In pursuit of this goal, they have bet on an internationalisation strategy and included new projects each year; investing 200 million euros since 2009 including Ferrari Land.
Building a kids’ play area, SésamoAventura, was the first of these investments in 2011, followed a year later by the construction of Shambhala, the highest roller coaster in Europe. In 2013 it was the turn of Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, the resort’s water park, which was extended and equipped with record-breaking attractions.
2014 was a year of major projects with the construction of “Angkor: adventure in the lost kingdom”, which takes visitors on a boat ride through lush jungle full of challenging adventures. Last year, PortAventura Resort also initiated a long-term partnership with Cirque du Soleil, setting up a permanent base for the company in Europe over the summer season.
2015 is the 20th anniversary of PortAventura Resort. New shows have been created to celebrate this milestone with special anniversary galas. Moreover, there will be six themed “White Nights” (closing time extended until 4 in the morning) and a variety of special events including two “Oktoberfest”, two “Black Nights” in Halloween and “Christmas Night”, which promise to surprise customers with an unbeatable experience.
As regards hotels, the big news is the transformation of the Lucy Mansion into the first 5-star hotel at the resort, as well as the extension of the 4-star Hotel Gold River, with the addition of the new Callaghan Building. These two projects have entailed investment of 10 million euros and will allow offering 2,100 rooms at the resort.
From July 2th, PortAventura Resort will host the Cirque du Soleil again; the company will set up its base at the resort in July and August to perform the show “Amaluna”.
With this commitment to growth, PortAventura Resort has established a model of integrated offering similar Orlando (U.S.) or Sentosa (Singapore). In addition to the theme parks and hotels, the resort also operates a Convention Center with capacity for 4,000 people and takes part in the offer of 3 golf courses and a beach club resort located near the resort.
About PortAventura
PortAventura Resort is one of Europe’s biggest destination resort. In its 20-year history it has welcomed almost 60 million visitors. With a prime location near Barcelona, Spain, the resort has four 4* themed hotels and one 5* hotel comprising a total of 2,100 rooms, plus a 4000-capacity convention centre. Right next to the resort are 3 golf courses designed by Greg Norman and a beach club with direct access to the Mediterranean shore. PortAventura also includes Europe’s leading theme park and water park, which feature a world-class range of rides and attractions. In addition, PortAventura Foundation has developed social projects with an investment of more than 5 million euros.
International Awards
Awards 2012
Kirmes & Parks Magazine (Germany)
European Star Award – Best new European attraction in 2012 – “Shambhala”
Worldofparks.eu Community (Europe)
Best novelty of the year at a theme park – “Shambhala”
Best amusement park in Europe 2012 – PortAventura
Awards 2013
Kirmes & Parks Magazine (Germany)
European Star Award – Best European Steel Coaster in 2013 – “Shambhala”
2º European Star Award – Best European theme park
Worldofparks.eu Community (Europe)
Best amusement park in Europe 2013 – PortAventura
Best event in a European amusement park 2013 – Halloween Season
Premio Best Show in a European amusement park 2013 – “Music Celebration”
Tez Tour (Russia)
Best Business Partner 2013
World Travel Market (UK) and Hosteltur (Spanish trade magazine)
WTM Global Award recognising the Human Resources policy
Zoover Travel – Travellers reccommendation site (Benelux)
Zoover Award– Best Theme Park in Europe
Ferrari Land to be developed in Spain
New Prancing Horse theme park for PortAventura resort
Posted: 13.03.2014
Source: Ferrari
13th March 2014 – PortAventura Entertainment S.A.U., a subsidiary of Investindustrial, has signed a licencing agreement with Ferrari to build Ferrari Land, a new Prancing Horse theme park, inside the PortAventura resort and theme park outside Barcelona in Spain.
Ferrari Land will cover 75,000 square metres and include a variety of new and exciting attractions for Prancing Horse enthusiasts of all ages, including Europe’s highest and fastest vertical accelerator. An opportunity for the whole family to experience and discover the world of Ferrari.
More good news is that the first Ferrari-themed hotel is also to be built inside PortAventura and will be a luxury five-star establishment with 250 rooms, restaurants and a driving simulator.
The project will involve an overall investment of 100 million euro and the Ferrari theme park itself officially opens in 2016. PortAventura already welcomes 4,000,000 visitors a year, of whom 50% come from outside Spain.
Acquired in 2009 by Investindustrial, PortAventura has been going from strength to strength and is now the Mediterranean’s top amusement park as well as the second-ranked in Europe, thanks in large part to an investment of over 125 million euros spread over a four-year period in addition to the initial sum invested in the purchase.
Andrea C. Bonomi, Senior Partner Investindustrial, explained the motivation behind the partnership with Ferrari thus: “PortAventura is one of the leaders in Europe’s tourism sector, while Ferrari is an iconic company that represents the very best of Made in Italy. The synergy between the two groups creates a powerful combination that means we can offer clients of both brands a unique experience. We are proud to be able to make this contribution to fostering the growth of the Ferrari brand and Made in Italy across the world. This partnership has been made possible by Investindustrial’s ongoing investment plan and the talents of the Italian management team brought in from Gardaland who have turned PortAventura into Europe’s best destination resort. Our recent collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, this new agreement with Ferrari and our partnership with KKR will help us expand PortAventura even further in the longer term. The agreement with Ferrari is another essential stage in our strategy of positioning PortAventura as one of the best family destination resorts in the world.”
Andrea Perrone, CEO of Ferrari Brand, the Ferrari subsidiary company that manages the Prancing Horse’s brand-related activities, added: “After the success of Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, we received many, many requests to develop new amusement parks. We carefully sifted through the various proposals and decided to accept Investindustrial’s because it is a very solid plan developed by competent people that will bring the magic of Ferrari to Spain, a nation where we have many supporters and enthusiasts, and to which large numbers of tourists flock each year, in part thanks to PortAventura. This new licence further underscores our brand’s presence in this area. Ferrari Land will delight the whole family and not just Formula 1 fans. We will continue to evaluate other proposals for theme parks outside Europe at our leisure: the brand is our most important asset and we have to enhance its value without diluting it.”
Sergio Feder, Executive President of PortAventura, also declared: “After our successful experience with Gardaland (Italy’s leading amusement park with almost 3.5 million visitors a year), we developed a long-term business development plan with Investindustrial to make PortAventura one of the best family destinations in Europe. Right from the start we have always been clear about our desire to develop the resort with high-profile international brands to ensure we achieve our target of around 5 million visitors a year. Ferrari was an obvious choice for this, not merely because of what the brand itself represents but also because of its experience with the Ferrari World Park at Abu Dhabi. It is also a source of great pride to us to be able to support such a world-famous and internationally-respected brand.”