The Dutch theme park Toverland has opened its largest ever expansion, featuring a new entrance and a fresh themed land called Avalon. For many of those gathered for the launch on July 7, the Fēnix rollercoaster was the highlight.
Port Laguna, the park’s new welcome plaza, is full of warmth and colour with azure water, a beach, a boulevard of shops, catering outlets, shows, games and an iconic lighthouse. In addition, visitors can enjoy the interactive magic show Magiezijn.
In Avalon, two exciting attractions await. Fēnix, by Bolliger & Mabillard, is the first wing coaster in the Benelux. It features seats hanging on either side of the track, creating a unique flying experience for Toverland guests. The ride features a total track length of 813-metres and a highest point of 40m. During the ride, passengers will experience three inversions and a top speed of 95 km/h.
Avalon is also home to a scenic boat ride called Merlin’s Quest. During a 12-minute long voyage, guests must search for the source of eternal life. The attraction contains four indoor scenes in which 18 moving characters can be admired.
Thanks to this 7-hectare expansion, which represents an investment of €35 million ($41m), Toverland is now one-and-a-half times bigger than before. It’s all a long way from when the park started life as an indoor attraction near the small town of Sevenum in 2001.
Owner Jean Gelissen and his sister/general director Caroline Kortooms are very proud of the end result. After a flight on Fēnix, Caroline said: “We were looking across the area from a height of 40 metres and saw our guests relaxing and enjoying Port Laguna and Avalon. This is exactly the reason why we did all of this. This is our magic world!”
Toverland’s ambition for the next few years is to break the magical attendance barrier of 1 million annual visitors. To achieve this, the theme park intends to increase the length of stay by building further expansions and opening a 4-star hotel resort.
