sign in sign up
<<
Home , Bergen Op Zoom, Madurodam, North Brabant, Uden

University of Central Florida STARS

Harrison "Buzz" Price Papers Digital Collections

9-1-1982

Memorandum Report: The Outlook for Themed Recreation Attractions at

Harrison Price Company

Part of the and Travel Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/buzzprice University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu

This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Digital Collections at STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Harrison "Buzz" Price Papers by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Recommended Citation Harrison Price Company, "Memorandum Report: The Outlook for Themed Recreation Attractions at Bergen OP Zoom" (1982). Harrison "Buzz" Price Papers. 119. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/buzzprice/119 I I I I I

I MEMORANDUM REPORT THE OUTLOOK FOR THEMED RECREATION I ATTRACTIONS AT BERGEN OP ZOOM Prepared for: I VVV , , September 1, 1982 I I I I I I Prepared by: I Harrison Price Company 876 South Bronson Avenue I Los Angeles, California 90005 (213) 937-3457 I I I I SECTION 1 I INTRODUCT I ON

I At the request of VVV of Breda, Holland, through the offices of Mr . Joop Strijkers of , Harrison Price Company I was requested to visit the city of Bergen Op Zoom in the of to make a preliminary examination I of its potential as a site for major themed recreation pro­ jects. A specific site known as the Molenplaat on the wa­ I terfront on the west edge of the city was to be inspected and evaluated as a specific location for such projects.

I HPC has evaluated recreation potentials in The Ne t herlands befor e and observations herein are based on that prior work, I recent field examination of existing commercial recreation project s and a visi t to the city of Bergen Op Zoom. Find­ I i ngs of the assignment were presented oral ly September 1 , 1982 to his excellency the Burgemeister of Bergen Op Zoom, I Drs. P. , the plan ning director of the City lr. J . J . de Waal Malifijt a nd Mssrs . Horsten , Jansen and Zanfl i et representing VVV of Breda by Harrison Price , Presi­ I dent of Harrison Pr i ce Company. This memorandum summarizes I that oral presentation. The specific assistance of Mr. Harold Zanfliet , a senior I student of The Netherl ands Tourism Institute in the assembly of data and field visit s is acknowledged with gratitude . I This report is organized in four sec tions; {1) the introduc­ tion, {2) the commercial recreation marke t in The Nether­ I lands , {3 ) the nature of t h e competition, and {4) opportun­ ities for themed commercial recreation projects in Bergen Op I Zoom . I I I - 1- I SECTION 2 I COMMERCIAL RECREATION MARKET

I Harrison Price Company staff members have studied the market for a major theme park in The three times-­ I first, in 1973, then in 1976 and more recently in a critique of the 1976 ERA study performed in 1981. That body of in­ formation indicates that within Holland's borders, the resi­ I dent market by itself is presently some 14.1 million popula- tion and its center of gravity is computed to be about 12 I kilometers east and 8 kilometers south of the city of . If the resident market is defined more appropri- I ately as a !50-kilometer ring centered in Holland and con­ taining the largest total population, the center of gravity I within this maximum ring moves south and east into North Brabant somewhere between and . That maximum ring picks up to the south and Cologne, Essen and I Duesseldorf to the southeast and contains about 24 million people. It is the true maximum resident market centered I within Holland and crossing over national boundaries.

I To determine what is the best practical location relative to this center point from the standpoint of maximum access, it I is necessary to look at freeway movements and locations. These freeway realities cause the optimum central location to move west within an oval area looped around the triangle I formed by the cities of Breda and on the south and the freeway intersection in Nieuwegein just south of I Utrecht. This triangular structure provides access to an optimum area. It is closer to local Dutch population cen­ I ters and it is bounded on its two north/south legs and its southern leg by strategic freeways. On the left leg of the I triangle is the -Breda-Brussels freeway, on the right leg is the due south route Amsterdam-Eindhoven-Liege. I leg runs east and west right into the Ruhr via Eindhoven and Duesseldorf. The oval area described serves a big market; 24 million local people in a !50-kilometer ring I (see Figure 1).

I -2- I

I v 5" E long I Amsteroam Cap1tal I Prov1nc1al cap1tal Town w 1th moro than tOO,OOO 1nhab1tants Town w1th loss than 0 I 100,000 1nhab1lilnts Prov.nc1al boundary

I M ajor canal I

I N 0 R T H

I S E A I

r 0 I Essen 0 f •-n 'I (j) ~~ I ,;z I I E L GI L

I II ll

INFORMATION ANO DOCUMENTATION ANo ~l'lltJ f*~ CO..M Figure 1 RESI DENT MARKET CENTERS WITHIN HOLLAND I -3- I Th e east / wes t moveme nt with i n this oval i s mo s t favor able . I I t consis t s of three major cross coun t ry r o utes ; Ut r e cht­ I , Rott e rda m-Ni j mejen a nd Br eda-Duessel dor f . Th e po int of this e xe r c i se i s t o compare this ma x i mum popu­ I l atio n c o ntainme nt ring to a s imilar 1 50-kilome t e r ring around Be rge n Op Zoom. In it the re i s a l o ss o f a pproxi­ mate l y 5 million population in the reside nt marke t (minus 7 I million in the Ruhr against a gain o f some 2 million in ). Thus the t o tal r eside nt marke t for Be rgen Op Zoom I is approximate ly 19 millio n . This compares very favorably to 1978 r e sident marke t s in the s e cities:

I 1. Atlanta 8 .4 million 2. Houston 6 . 2 millio n 3 . St . Loui s 5.4 millio n I 4 . Dallas/Fort Worth 5.2 million 5. New Orleans 4 . 6 million

I In r e gard to c e ntrality of access , there is a tangible loss. Unlike the are a in the maximum oval, Bergen Op Zoom i s not I on the main roads sout h from Amste rdam and Rotte rdam. The east/ west access is excellent into the Ruhr, but the loca­ I tion is to one side . I Tourism is difficult to measure in Holland because of mixed data. Available data concerns foreign visitors staying in hotels , camping facilities, pensions and youth hostels which I is about 3 milli on, but this e xcludes unrecorded visits by per sons from beyond the !50-kilome t e r range and it includes I fore igners who are already counted in the r eside nt marke t . I HPC wrote the following statement in its 1981 report : " In our opinion , hotel and facility registrants are but a f raction of Netherlands tourism. In o ur I estimation subject to eventual r e fine ment , at least 5 to 6 million tourists float through the Netherlands excluding Be lgium and Ruhr residents alr eady coun ted in the !50-kilomet er resident I ring. Many stay with f r iends or t hey are day I visitors or are simply unrecorded."

I -4- I Thus, the total market for a park located in the maximum I oval in The Netherlands is about 29 million . In the 150- kilometer ring around Bergen Op Zoom , the total market is I approximately 24 million. I This compares very favorably t o 1978 total markets (resi- dents plus tourists) in these cities of the u. s . :

Atlanta 14.4 million I New Orleans 11.2 million Houston 8 .1 million I Dallas/Fort Worth 7.7 million In addition to its large size , it is a high quality market ; I average family and per capita income is comparable to that in the u. s. The same is true of neighboring countries, West I , and Belgium. I It is a stable family market constructi o n wi th relatively less single parent families and fewer two working parent families than in the U.S. In general, it is a family market I looking for things to do as a family unit--much as in the I U.S . or more so . I It is a growing market--slow but steadily increasing. It is the conclusion of the HPC staff based on our reviews I of the commercial recreation market , that the market for commercial recreation in Holland is much like that of the U.S.A . In this business field , the respective cultures are I more alike than different . I I I I

I -5- I

SECTION 3 I THE COMPETITION I In terms of overall competition in the market area-- a large I number of zoos, sea life parks, towers, amusement parks and related enterprises are operating. The six largest--those I with attendance over l million are: Estimated 1981 Attendance I Park (millions) De Ef teling 1.7 Biekse Bergen 1.5 (combined zoo I & park) Madurodam l.l Pony Park at Slagharen l.O I Keukenhoff Tulip Fesival 1.5 6. 8 I In addition to these parks in the Netherlands, Walibi at 1.1 million operates near Brussels and Fantasialand in Cologne I generates about 1.5 million (or more).

I Thus, seven parks over l million attendance generate 9 . 4 I million attendees in the market place . In the attendance range 400,000 to 1.0 million, ll parks operate in the market area. They are: I Attendance Park (000)

I De Euromast Rotterdam 378 Adventure Park Hellendorn 700 Het Evoluon Eindhoven 439 I De Flevohoff Biddinghuizen 650 Madam Tussaud Amsterdam 4 59 Schleveningen Pier Schleveningen 567 Wassenar 730 I De Bergen Wanroij 460 Koningin Juliantoren Apeldorn 500 Dobbiejaanland Lichtaert, Belgium 700 I Meli Park Adinherke , Belgium 750 I 6,333

I -6- I In the smaller park category (less than 400,000 annual at­ I tendance), HPC has tabulated 10 parks as follows: Park Attendance (000)

I Het Foreldorado lOS De Linaeshof 217 Miniaturstad Walchera n 162 I Pretpark Druinenzathe 112 Gouden Handen 185 Spookjesbos Valkenburg 150 I Tivoli Pretpark 205 150 Bosbad 280 I De Waarbeek 120 1,686 I The total competitive market in this tabulation is thus: I Group Number Attendance (millions) Above l million 7 9 . 4 400,000 - 1 million 11 6.3 I Less than 400,000 10 1 . 7 I 28 17 . 4 The total attendance of 17.4 million compares to the total I market size of 29 million in a ratio of 0.60 attendances per person which compares to 1.0 attendances per person in the I total Southern California market of 31 million and 1.1 at­ tendances per person in the Florida market of 29 million. I The question follows as to whether the market in The Nether­ lands is underserved or whether investment levels and better weather explain the difference . Whatever the case, generat­ I ing 17 . 4 million attendances is a well done job and it shows a responsive market. It represents gross revenues in excess I of 350 million guilders. It isn' t so much a case of low attendance in the market place that creates opportunity in I Holland, but the quality of execution in a good part of it that defines what can be done . I I I -7- I The 28 parks tabluate d he r e have a wide range in quality of I e xecutio n. I We have visite d sev e n par ks s t a rting with t he Sc he v e ningen Pie r last year (a low quality t o urist trap ), t he Tulip Fes­ tival at Keukenhoff ( a spec t acular attrac tio n) and four o f I the larger amusement park s o n this trip (a mixed bag o f good I qualities and something e l se ). The 17.4 million atte ndance level answers a basic question I about the impact of we athe r. Holland is not Hawaii, but the climate doesn't stop comme r c ial recreation. Even with an I average 30-40 days of snow and many rainy days (the sunshine ratio is a low 35 perce nt--1,500 out of 4,380 hours), and with rain on 36 percent of days , a major attendance level is I achieved . The need for weathe r protection is manifest and would add to attendance potentials in any recreation enter­ I prise in this area.

I Observations on sele cte d field visits are noted below : I De (1,700,000 attendance)

• The park has an optimum marke t centere d loc ation I at Kaatske uvel . It is a goreous big site with beautif ul garde ns • and landscaping in abundance and profusion and I four lakes . The park is underdeveloped. Th e site is r e adily I • expandable . With two new rides (the Swing and the Python) cos ting 8.5 millio n guilde rs, attendance jumped from 1 . 287 million to 1 . 700 million (incre ­ I mental r e venue e qual or greate r than the invest­ ment). This tells mu c h about this park (and the market place) .

I The park i s outstandingly c l e an . Its f eeding • operations are abov e average ; merchandising effort I is nominal. I I - 8- I It i s too mu c h involved in static p r esen tati ons • with fairy tale themes lacking in a udioanimatronic I development . In contrast , the ghos t haus shows talent in this f i e ld. It i s the best ride of its I kind in the ma r ket . There is thematic confusion in the present expan­ • sion--the park has a great tradition which s hould I be built o n. The park with its f o ur lakes has great potential • for water ride and attraction development. Th e I present swimming pool area is an underdevelopment. The only thematic exploitation on this area is a bucolic water ride whic h benefits from the beauty I of the grounds . The park is taking a strong position in the youth • market with its two big, high- quality rides. The I Python rollercoaster is the best ride of its kind in the marketplace . The Great Swing is well done and a big draw. Und e r construction is a 12- to I 15-million-guilde r white water rapids ride. It will be the best of its kind in this market .

The transportation system is weak--the train ride I • does not fulfil l a transportation function .

Nighttime party operation could be offered for I • company and institutional gatherings. Needed--a profusion of l ighting , sound , music, and enter­ I tainment. • This histo ric enterprise was riding on its momen­ tum, but now it has a ne w e nergy . It could become a great theme park over the years. It has great I potential for higher attendance and higher per capita gener ation if aggressively developed . I Biekse Bergen Recreation Park (750,000 attendance) • The park is well located and centered in the mar­ I ket at Hilvaranbee k. It generates 750 , 000 atte n­ dance in the r ecreation park and 750,000 in the safari zoo.

I • The s ite is huge and beautiful , containing a sev­ e ral-hundre d-acre i nland recreation lake with white sand beaches. It is e xpandable to a great I degree . • It is a clean park . Maintenance, paint, finish I and detail are excellent. I I -9- I • The theme is water sports . It has a limited num­ I ber of attractions . • It evidences good food and merchandising . I It has a fine transportation system with an ele­ • phant train and gondola systems moving visitors I over large distances. • It needs mu s i c and e ntertainment.

It could utilize a $5 million Wet 'N Wild slide I • and wave addition.

It has a camping area . It has room for a sport­ I • haus center concept like Het Vennenbos at Hapert which would combine well with the lake sports area.

I • The operator has planted his flag by building the best "ride " within the resident market area--a 6 . 8 million guilder IMAX theater--a must to see . It I more or less states that this park will take its place as a major contemporary recreation enter­ I prise with an aggressive e~pansion program. Bobbejaanland (700 , 000 attendance )

• This park is located remotely at Lichtaart south I of . It gets 700,000 attendance with not the best access . I • It is located in a big, handsome, wa t er-orient ed site, expandable--well run, clean, well painted, I well maintained , good detailing . It is themed extensively western (with l o t s of • western facade in Knott ' s Berry Farm style) . I County music is e verywhere . • It has three theaters--one big e xtravaganza revue I type show which is well done and well r eceived . It has 30 attractions inc luding a space flight • simulator a nd all are working--good stores and I good r estaurants . The park features the mechani­ cal bull for rough riding .

It has an excellent monorail transportatio n system I • c irc ling the park. • It has potential for craft development in the I merchandise area--wood, l eather, metal, ceramics , etc. It would fit in with its western str eet in the manner of Silver Dollar City and Spillikin's I Corner at Magic Mountain in Los Ang e l es .

I -10- I It is a better than average execution in this • market place but difficult to expand its pr esent I level perhaps because it already is wh at it is. • It ought to have nighttime action , but its remote I access works against this. Walibi (1 , 100 , 000 attendance)

I • This park generates 1.1 million attendance at Wavre southeast of Brussels . I • It is a dirty park in a large , ugly , poorly land­ scaped site. It contains two large lake areas devoid of landscaping .

I • It has no transportation system.

• Many rides were not working--it seems to be a I collection of old used rides for the most part-­ poorly maintained. I • The park is poorly detailed and finished; for example, a shoddy entry to a fine computer show typical of the slipshod presentation.

I • It offers cheap merchandise and poor quality food, the worst encountered . I • It offers 27 listed rides-- tornado, parachute jump--the best is a 300 foot great ferris wheel. It has a weak wi ld river ride . Several coasters-­ I the best is a back and forth loop called Sirroco. • It offers a tent cinemax and a poor dolphin set up and the worst dark ride around--an expensive water I conveyed dark ride version of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean , which is noisy, poorly done , point­ I less. • It has a good laser show sponsored by Coca Cola. • The site is expandable but management is obviously I a limitation and the park is going nowhere but down unless they shake it up. I • Promotion is fine (it is frequently written up in park literature), but the product is poor . I The Pier at Schleveningen (576 , 000 attendance) • A miserable, run down tourist trap which neverthe­ less generates a large amount of attendance (it is I the ocean which draws) . I I -11- I • The only l esson from this operation is that any I good nearby r ecreation e nte r prise should drive it o ut of business. I The conclusio n to be d r awn from t his fieldwork sample a r e as fol l ows:

There are several beautiful, expandable , we ll I • located major parks in this market a r ea . • They have in the past generally taken a position I of low capital investment with resulting low per capita income generation--parks of the o ld school .

Some are able and ready to improve product, expand I • format and theme development. In fact they are in the process of doing so. The market place will respond to that transition. Those who c an aggres­ I sively improve should dominate more than ever. The weaker parks will weaken more . I • Any new capital intensive operation will have to reckon with the expansability of that existing , depreciated capital base.

I The need for higher quality produc t in the commer­ • cial amusement field is quite real and extensive . Too many low grade operations populate the marke t I place .

• There is an excellent opportunity in Holland for I developing new quality operations with selected thematic marke t positioning .

I Detailed thematic development is beyond the scope of this brief analysis, but several types of park operations are I under represented in the marke t served from Be rge n Op Zoom s uch as :

I • Contemporary game electronics, and automation in the style of Sesame Place in Dallas and Philade l­ I phia. Capital intensive waterplay attractions with wave • machines, complex water slides, and related at­ I traction development. Sea life park development in the manner of Sea • World in California and Florida with elements of I the Baltimore Aquarium. I I -12- I • More entertainment--live shows, color and sound in I recreation parks tied in with nighttime operation . Improvements in specialty merchandising akin to • Faneuil Square in Boston o r Ghirardelli Square in I San Francisco.

Peripheral guest housing development in the manner I • of the Sports Ce ntrum--asynergistic addition to park development in this marketplace . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I -13- I SECTION 4 I OPPORTUNITIES fOR COM MERC I AL RECRE ATI ON IN BERGE N OP ZOOM I

Harris on Price Co mpany ' s brief e xa mina tio n o f the loc a t ion I at Be rgen Op zo om leads us t o these c onc lus ions:

• The c ity i s beautif ul, his toric, we ll planned a nd I ripe with l oca l color. It has amb i e nce . • The c ity is centra l t o a total market o f 24 mil­ lion--no t t he lar gest ma rket position in Holla nd , I but still very l a r ge ( i t is 3 million more than the we ll d e v e l o pe d c o mme rcial recreation market in I San Francis co f o r e xample ) . The specific site--the Molenplaat--is a triangular • piece of ground directly west of the Civic Center I within the new harbo r development. It would be well suited to harbo r / port/shipping thematic de- velopme nt in a historic connotation.

I • The site has sufficient size--now in excess of 3 00 acres and e xpandable--to do something significant. I • Access improvement to the island from the north and s outh loops of the highway system is e ssen­ tial. Th e s e improvements are presently planne d to I become realities in f ive or six years . I In the context of the ove rall comm e r c ial recreation busine ss in Holland, c e rtain windows o f o pportunity would appear to be appropriate in Bergen Op Zoom. Th e y are listed as fol­ I lows:

A maj or s e a life park a nd aquarium--investment I • l evel o n the orde r of 100 million gu i lders--atte n­ dance pote ntial 1.5 to 2 .5 million-- role model-­ I Se a Wo rld in Oh i o plus the Baltimore Aquarium. A park o f the above kind could also contai n an • extens ive wa t e rplay and sports comple x of the kind d e veloped by We t 'N Wild in Orlando and Silver I Dollar City in Dallas, Texas. These operations represent investments on the order of 25 million I guilde rs and draw more than a million visitors . I

I -14- I • The site could be an outstanding location for a destination r esort development in the manner of I Het Vennenbos with its 500 residence units, and its Sports Centrum. This kind oE an operation would b l end well with the above operations as each I would contribute demand for the other . This kind of complex represents a n investment level on the order of 50 million guilder s and it draws on the I order of 700,000 visitor nights per year. These operations are f unctioning at year round occupancy levels in excess of 90 percent, almos t season proof . This location could be the first of these I operations adapted to a seaside environment. • HPC does not see this location as an optimum site I for a themed amusement park of the ride variety . There are better and more competitive locations in Holland for a capital intensive, mass attendance I park in the role model of a Six Flags park like those in Atlanta or Dallas. Certain elements of such a park could fit but not its overall concept. I • A possible embellishment of the first three items is to include an integrated specialty center de­ velopment containing diverse shops , restaurants I and entertainment themed as an old port town. The initial size would be on the order of 50,000 square feet or more of net rentable space , con­ taining 30 to 40 lessee operators. The role model I is Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco (an im­ proved Ports ' O Call in Los Angeles) or Seaport Village in San Diego. Initial investment required I is on the order of 20 million guilders. Visita­ tion would be on the order of 2 million per year . I These are all preliminary concepts requiring more specific planning effort, but in summary, Harrison Price Company I believes that a great and powerful draw could be put togeth­ I er out of these elements in Bergen Op Zoom . I I I I I -15-