FRESHNESS AND THRILLS: THE WATER PARK JACKPOT ! | Capital | M6

Having fun with the whole family without breaking the bank — that is the promise of water parks. XXL slides, wave pools and spectacular inflatable structures: these attractions are constantly innovating to attract visitors and keep them coming back.
In the Vendée region, the owner of O’Gliss Park has just invested €6 million in Europe’s largest raft slide. Standing 26 metres high and featuring a double entrance, it can handle up to 1,000 visitors an hour! This is essential for keeping queues under control, as excessively long waits could put visitors off and hurt attendance.
To maximize profits, the park’s owner has introduced fast-track tickets. But are customers who pay extra really getting their money’s worth?
Right next door, a new competitor is also looking to get a slice of the pie. It is called “Le Grand Défi.” The world’s leading treetop adventure operator has just opened an inflatable water park made up of 80 modules on a nearby lake. The promise: an hour of “Ninja Warrior”-style action, as visitors make their way from one inflatable obstacle to the next, tackling challenges, slides and other obstacles.
The advantage? Minimal investment for maximum profitability. And these structures can be installed on all kinds of bodies of water, including lakes, opening up countless commercial opportunities.
Behind the scenes, a design team is working on the development of these new attractions, trying to strike the right balance between fun for visitors and profitability for operators. Because if participants get stuck on the course, the entire day’s revenue could be put at risk.
In Germany, inflatable water-park giant Wibit is struggling to keep up with demand, thanks in large part to the colourful and charismatic salesman Jacques Casanova, who sells dozens of these structures every year.