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Small News From The Theme Park Industry

Merlin Entertainments Nick Varney, Chief Executive Officer, to retire

Merlin Entertainments today announces that Nick Varney, Chief Executive Officer, has informed the Board that he intends to retire.
www.merlinentertainments.biz www.merlinentertainments.biz

CEO of Merlin, Nick Varney, and CDO Mark Fisher, have announced that they intend to retire over the next 12 months.

Nick has been CEO of Merlin since it was formed in 1999, and Mark Fisher might not be a name everyone is familiar with, but he's played a significant role in Merlin as well. He's been CDO since 2011, and prior to that, was Managing Director of Merlin's Resort Theme Parks when they originally bought out the Tussauds group in 2007.

Both leaving the company at a similar time could lead to some pretty big changes.
 
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Liseberg is building something more by their secondary entrance. They are building a huge hotel and it looks incredible.

20220430_194345.jpg

But they have just fenced off a large area exactly in front of the secondary entrance and started some construction.

20220430_194039.jpg

On the tarp it says "Här skapar vi plats för mer kul", meaning "Here we are making space for more fun". Don't know if it means something or it's just their new standard construction tarp.

20220430_193946.jpg

Behind the fence they have removed some trees and seem to be building a foundation for something. Too me it looks like a foundation for a flat ride or fountain but could it also be a building? Any ideas of what it is?
 
ChristianPalsson said:
Liseberg is building something more by their secondary entrance. They are building a huge hotel and it looks incredible.

View attachment 17554

But they have just fenced off a large area exactly in front of the secondary entrance and started some construction.

View attachment 17555

On the tarp it says "Här skapar vi plats för mer kul", meaning "Here we are making space for more fun". Don't know if it means something or it's just their new standard construction tarp.

View attachment 17558

Behind the fence they have removed some trees and seem to be building a foundation for something. Too me it looks like a foundation for a flat ride or fountain but could it also be a building? Any ideas of what it is?
Click to expand...
There was a building housing a soccer-themed midway game there up until last season, so my guess would be a new structure to replace the old one. Hasn't been like Liseberg to suddenly start construction on a new ride without announcing it prior, especially since they're already busy with Luna.
 
Happy Valley Shenzhen has retired its 1998 S&S Space shot in prep for a refresh of the adventure mountain area of the park. The Space shot was sat on its own on a hill quite near the front of the park and required a bit of a climb to get to if i remember correctly.

Spaceshot.png

SInce the park filled in the big gap between the front and back of the park with the Mack Power Splash the front has seemed a little dated in comparison to the rest. Which isnt surprising as this was one of the first big parks in China opening way back in 1998, so a refresh of the area is welcome news. No news on whats planned but fingers crossed for a new coaster.

HV refrsh.JPG

This image shows the space shot roughly in the center and the older area of the park surrounding it. The newer area with the Power Splash is top left.
 
roomraider said:
Happy Valley Shenzhen has retired its 1998 S&S Space shot in prep for a refresh of the adventure mountain area of the park. The Space shot was sat on its own on a hill quite near the front of the park and required a bit of a climb to get to if i remember correctly.

View attachment 17641

SInce the park filled in the big gap between the front and back of the park with the Mack Power Splash the front has seemed a little dated in comparison to the rest. Which isnt surprising as this was one of the first big parks in China opening way back in 1998, so a refresh of the area is welcome news. No news on whats planned but fingers crossed for a new coaster.

View attachment 17642

This image shows the space shot roughly in the center and the older area of the park surrounding it. The newer area with the Power Splash is top left.
Click to expand...
Anything happening to where the Mine Train was? It was pretty sudden that they tore it out, and I haven't heard anything about a replacement yet.
 
it was a trek and a half to get there, but was a pretty sweet view and position. shame, I like a good drop/shot tower
 
Got a DM asking me about this so I'll write an update here on the state of Balder.

The retracking is going on. A big crane has been raised in the middle of it.

20220430_192120.jpg

Most of the track has been removed. There are a few sections which have track and I don't know if it is the new or the old but it looks a bit worn so I am guessing it's the old track that hasn't yet been removed.

20220430_192239.jpg

A month ago I got a behind the scenes tour of Liseberg with management and while I couldn't get a definitive answer out of them they said that they have planned this summer's guest flow with the idea that Balder is closed. They will be focusing on getting guests up the mountain to spread out crowds. The official PR says that it will at the earlies open "at the end of the summer". Personally, I am guessing around August or for Halloween.
 
roomraider said:
I'm 90% sure this ride will be heading to Hainan Silk Road Paradise in Sanya.

The layout on the park plan, although fairly blurry, matches up perfectly with the released layout from GH.

View attachment 16421View attachment 16422
Click to expand...

Track and supports for this ride are now at the GH plant

GHBM.JPG

fb.watch

Some tracks and supports lying on the factory of Jinma found on Tiktok. It is said to be for a launch coaster, what could it be?... | By Roller Coaster Dream-过山车之梦 | Facebook

Some tracks and supports lying on the factory of Jinma found on Tiktok. It is said to be for a launch coaster, what could it be?...
fb.watch fb.watch

Looks like its using their box track design, similar to B&M and Giovanola.
 
cookie said:
Anything happening to where the Mine Train was? It was pretty sudden that they tore it out, and I haven't heard anything about a replacement yet.
Click to expand...
So i looked into this. Theres a few videos from Douyin that seem to show it there as normal as early as mid April. Ive queried some local friends I have and will see what they say, possibly just a retrack? As mentioned I guess it is the oldest mine train of this model in China.

fmg7swmpj2y0rcvfrtwmisvs[28302].jpg
 
roomraider said:
Track and supports for this ride are now at the GH plant

View attachment 17646

fb.watch

Some tracks and supports lying on the factory of Jinma found on Tiktok. It is said to be for a launch coaster, what could it be?... | By Roller Coaster Dream-过山车之梦 | Facebook

Some tracks and supports lying on the factory of Jinma found on Tiktok. It is said to be for a launch coaster, what could it be?...
fb.watch fb.watch

Looks like its using their box track design, similar to B&M and Giovanola.
Click to expand...
Is this perhaps worth a new thread over in park construction?
 
cookie said:
Anything happening to where the Mine Train was? It was pretty sudden that they tore it out, and I haven't heard anything about a replacement yet.
Click to expand...

So having asked around it appears the mine train as we know it has indeed gone. Despite me finding some pics from recently. I can only assume those are older images and looking closely the dust pattern on the track does match up with the pattern on the image of it being removed.

There will however be a new terrain mine train built across the park where the space shot was as part of the front of park retheme.

Quite why they decided to remove a ride they only rethemed 3 years ago and leave what I can only assume is a gaping hole in their recently expanded wild west area is beyond me though.
 
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