The famous Spanish
theme park Port
Aventura has made its bet on Russian tourists. The park’s management has been
showing special interest in the Russian market since 2011, when it was visited
by around 200 000 guests from the country (33% more compared to 2010). Now
Russians have taken third place right after the English – traditionally among
the most frequent visitors of Catalonia.
The first place is secured by Spaniards themselves.
So now, the park’s management is stepping up its
efforts in attracting more Russian tourists: guidebooks in Russian have been
printed, Russian language information boards have been set up on the park’s
territory, Russian-speaking workers have been hired and, of course, lots of
Tax-Free shops have been opened as well – traditionally very popular among
Russians. According to comunicatur.info, a Russian version of Port Aventura’s
web site is currently being developed.
Port Aventura is widely considered to be among the
leading theme parks not only in Spain,
but in Europe in general. It’s also the second
largest in Europe – after Disneyland in Paris.
Port Aventura is annually visited by around 3 mln people. Built by Brittain’s
Tussauds Group it was later purchased by Universal. It’s the only such park in Europe located so close to resort zones: just a 15-20
minute drive from Costa Dorada – one of the most popular resorts among
foreigners, including Russian tourists. However, many visitors come from as far
as Barcelona –
around 100 km
away.
On a relatively small territory – 117 hectares – Port
Aventura houses over 40 state-of-the-art rides. They include: water rides,
rollercoasters, a real mountain canyon, the Fire Dragon. Visitors can also
descend into the dark galleries of a silver mine, relax in a Wild West tavern
or even get a real adrenaline punch by going into an earthquake zone.
