Aqua Parks: Swimming against the tide
Investing in these watery schemes is, however, expensive and ranges from zł20-100 million złoty, depending on their size and other features, and Kraków's is only one of two such privately financed ventures in Poland. With a water surface of 2,100 square meters and a building capacity of up to 15,000 square meters, the number of visitors to the aqua park exceeds 700,000 per year and will grow as new attractions such as a racetrack for windsurfers and a water tower for divers are introduced in the future.
Following Kraków's success, Wrocław city council has also decided to build an aqua park by the second quarter of 2006 and has appointed the German construction company Interspa, a specialist in this type of scheme, to implement mayor Rafał Dutkiewicz's vision. The investment will amount to €23 million and will be financed by a loan, though the city council will control a 25 percent stake in the venture until the credit is repaid. After that, it will be completely owned and operated by the local authority. Dutkiewicz holds that it will become the biggest aqua park in Poland with two twenty-five meter swimming pools, an artificial river, a waterfall and other attractions. It will be built next to Anders Hill in Wrocław and will consist of 12,000 square meters.
Warsaw will also welcome its first aqua park soon and this will be an extension of the existing Olympic swimming pool; it will be operated by Mokotowska Fundacja Warszawianka Wodny Park.
Holmes Place, a British chain of aqua parks and gyms, announced recently that it is to expand in the CEE. By 2006, the firm will have constructed 2 or 3 aqua parks in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Though he welcomes the competition from that source, Piotr Bozek, General Director of Aqua Park Cracow, believes that the real challenge to his business comes from the sedentary lifestyles of many Polish people. Another obstacle is that local authorities invariably have other priorities and insufficient financial resources to invest in such ventures. But aqua parks can still claim to offer a unique experience of entertainment, as well as activity, which is arguably not the case at ordinary swimming pools.
If the demand for health and entertainment grows in Poland, aqua parks and the whole construction industry specializing in this area will enjoy a brighter future.
Following Kraków's success, Wrocław city council has also decided to build an aqua park by the second quarter of 2006 and has appointed the German construction company Interspa, a specialist in this type of scheme, to implement mayor Rafał Dutkiewicz's vision. The investment will amount to €23 million and will be financed by a loan, though the city council will control a 25 percent stake in the venture until the credit is repaid. After that, it will be completely owned and operated by the local authority. Dutkiewicz holds that it will become the biggest aqua park in Poland with two twenty-five meter swimming pools, an artificial river, a waterfall and other attractions. It will be built next to Anders Hill in Wrocław and will consist of 12,000 square meters.
Warsaw will also welcome its first aqua park soon and this will be an extension of the existing Olympic swimming pool; it will be operated by Mokotowska Fundacja Warszawianka Wodny Park.
Holmes Place, a British chain of aqua parks and gyms, announced recently that it is to expand in the CEE. By 2006, the firm will have constructed 2 or 3 aqua parks in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Though he welcomes the competition from that source, Piotr Bozek, General Director of Aqua Park Cracow, believes that the real challenge to his business comes from the sedentary lifestyles of many Polish people. Another obstacle is that local authorities invariably have other priorities and insufficient financial resources to invest in such ventures. But aqua parks can still claim to offer a unique experience of entertainment, as well as activity, which is arguably not the case at ordinary swimming pools.
If the demand for health and entertainment grows in Poland, aqua parks and the whole construction industry specializing in this area will enjoy a brighter future.
