Holland's Efteling plans immersive €18m dive coaster
by Tom Anstey | 17 Oct 2014
The ride is part of a €36m redevelopment of the Efteling amusement park
Holland’s most-visited theme park has revealed €18m (US$23m, £14.3m) plans to build a new rollercoaster, themed around an in-depth backstory and storytelling narrative, in what looks to be one of the most immersive rides ever devised.
With the story the developers main priority in ride development, the planned ‘Baron 1898’ attraction – to be built at Efteling – is part of the park’s plan to get visitor numbers to the Dutch amusement park up to 5 million annually by 2020.
The dive coaster attraction has an old-fashioned vibe to it and will be designed to look like a traditional Dutch gold mine, complete with a factory, mine shaft and a high lift with a big wheel.
The attraction will tell the story of the gold mine’s owner, Gustave Hoogh Courage. After he finds a cursed lump of gold, he is haunted by the ghostly 'Weird Sisters'. The ride’s designers have chosen not to reveal the majority of ride specifications – bar a 37.5m (123ft) drop. Instead, the ride's 1898’s storytelling perspective and the need to devise a compelling narrative for the attraction is being promoted.
Holland’s most-visited theme park has revealed €18m (US$23m, £14.3m) plans to build a new rollercoaster, themed around an in-depth backstory and storytelling narrative, in what looks to be one of the most immersive rides ever devised. With the story the developers main priority in ride development, the planned ‘Baron 1898’ attraction – to be built at Efteling – is part of the park’s plan to get visitor numbers to the
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Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea (nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark with two new family raft slides. Other attractions include the Crown's Edge skywalk/zip line experience, the FlowRider surf simulator, the Adrenaline Peak rock-climbing wall, and the Lost Dunes mini-golf course. Arriving in Miami in August 2027, Hero of
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New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
by Helen Andrews | 20 Apr 2026
The heritage-listed Department of Lands building in Sydney, Australia, has relaunched as a major cultural and events destination, as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of two iconic buildings known collectively as the Sandstone Precinct. Singapore-based Pontiac Land Group owns the property, as well as the building next door that was the former Department of Education building. The two-phase restoration project has seen Pontiac turn the Department of Education building into
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by Magali Robathan | 16 Apr 2026
World of Frozen has opened at Disney Adventure World in Disneyland Paris with new offerings across the entire park. The expansion almost doubles the size of Disneyland Paris, immersing guests in a life-size recreation of the Kingdom of Arendel. The World of Frozen features a Tangled -inspired attraction, 14 new dining locations and a large lake debuting a new night-time spectacular. It also features a daytime celebration, themed shopping, and
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
by Helen Andrews | 14 Apr 2026
The €200m (US$221.3 million, £169.7 million) Pical Resort, Valamar Collection has opened in Croatia with the country’s first ESPA spa. Valamar Riviera, a Croatian tourism company and hotel operator has revealed the 514-key property in Poreč, Istria. The development of the Pical Resort represents Valamar’s largest investment to date. The accommodation is split into the following options: the Pical Hotel, the luxury all-inclusive Pical Family Hotel, the exclusive Pical Suites
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by Helen Andrews | 13 Apr 2026
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has revealed plans to expand its presence in Egypt with the renovation and operation of two historic hotel properties and the brand’s first-ever luxury river cruise. In 2022, Mandarin Oriental announced it would open its first Egyptian property, Mandarin Oriental Shepheard in Cairo. The hotel is undergoing a comprehensive renovation and is due to open in 2027. Ownership and development The river cruise, Old Cataract
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
by Helen Andrews | 27 Mar 2026
Holistic design and architecture practice Mendil + Meyer, based in Arizona in the US, has introduced a new division called Lām Concepts to integrate and align wellness goals for projects before they reach the design stage. Ben Meyer, architect and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, told Spa Business exclusively about the new division: “Lām comes from the word loam, meaning fertile ground – the place where conditions are right for
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by Helen Andrews | 05 Mar 2026
Wilderness, an operator of 60 safari camps across eight African countries, has unveiled the second spa under its new concept called The Sanctuary, at Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda. The Sanctuary is a concept that pairs design and wellness with raw, restorative landscapes. The offering at the Rwandan property follows the opening of a different interpretation of The Sanctuary’s concept at Wilderness Mombo in Botswana. Read more about that property here.
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
by Helen Andrews | 04 Mar 2026
Design firm 4a Architekten has shared details of the recently-completed extension to the wellness facilities at destination spa park Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa in Germany. The upgrades to the leisure pool facility, which has been in operation since 1984, included the addition of a thermal spa and sauna in a new building that integrated sensitively into the landscape. Commissioned by the facility’s operator, utility company Stadtwerke Bad Dürkheim, the
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