The Future of PortAventura

[havaska]

Port Aventura need to be chasing 6 million plus annual visitors but the resort needs a lot of work. Parts have been left to rot a little too much. Ferrari-land needs to be massively expanded; it’s far too small as it is.

The waterpark also needs a lot of work to bring it up to Universal’s standards. Especially when you compare it Siam Park in Tenerife.

Universal will need to invest a lot of money to bring it up to scratch.

 

[Alicia]

Universal will need to invest a lot of money to bring it up to scratch.

Not to mention the resort's current debt, which would be inherited by the buyer, (if said buyer buys the land/parks/resort company as a whole).

 

[Brian G.]

Just a reminder of this. Generally, we’d have a more general thread and then make individual ones based on confirmed announcements. We didn’t do that this time because that was the desire of the posters in this thread.

Also, @UER isn’t the person who was quoted with a timeframe promise. So let’s not use another poster’s words against them.

Also want to add that while I know the poster got a little brash at one point, I don’t want this thread to devolve into madness in the event they are wrong.

 

[UER]

85% more visitors is very far out.

Port Aventura had 3.8 million visitors. Alton Towers had 2.3 million.

Alton Towers isn’t the most visited park in the UK and hasn’t been for some years - it’s Legoland with 2.4 million.

Source: Top 20 most visited theme parks in Europe in 2022 | News | ThemeParks-EU.com

Yep, looked the wrong year and it was Alton Towers with 2 millions

 

[LukiLu]

Please be careful with the Theme Index numbers. At least for Merlin parks, these are rough estimates only and tend to mismatch actual numbers by hundreds of thousands of visitors.

 

[tielo]

Universal (when build like a real uni park like in Orlando) is a destination park. Europeans don't do much destination theme park visit in general. A 2 hour drive is fine but something like DLP isn't done much and often combined with something else and to keep costs down no overpriced hotels on property but somewhere else for cheaper.
Having 2 Uni parks in EU is eating away market share. Current Spain park is loosing money and is only on 6th place. For most northern Europeans Spain is a budget destination so an expensive theme park ticket won't do well for that audience. How much visitors and money needs Uni to at least break even? I just don't see this happening.

 

[UER]

Universal (when build like a real uni park like in Orlando) is a destination park. Europeans don't do much destination theme park visit in general. A 2 hour drive is fine but something like DLP isn't done much and often combined with something else and to keep costs down no overpriced hotels on property but somewhere else for cheaper.
Having 2 Uni parks in EU is eating away market share. Current Spain park is loosing money and is only on 6th place. For most northern Europeans Spain is a budget destination so an expensive theme park ticket won't do well for that audience. How much visitors and money needs Uni to at least break even? I just don't see this happening.

Where did you get it was losing money? It doesn't and it recovered very well last year to pre covid levels

Port Aventura triplica el beneficio hasta 30 millones tras lograr ingresos récord en 2022

El parque de atracciones factura 277 millones con cinco millones de visitas y mejora su posición ante una eventual venta

elpais.com

The debt that the resort has is not because the resort itself, it was the credit current owners took to buy the resort, they have been just pushing it forward until they sell the resort because they are an investment firm, not park operators, so they just seek big profits and dividends because that's how capitalist suits work

 

[Calmix]

Not to mention the resort's current debt, which would be inherited by the buyer, (if said buyer buys the land/parks/resort company as a whole).

The buyer do not care about the debt becouse that debt is going to get written off from the selling prise.

Debt 700millions and the final selling prise is 900, there are to options, one is the buyer give 200 to the seller and inherit the debt or two the buyer give 900 to the seller in front of JPMorgan that gets 700 of that and that credit is canceled. Whatever is best for the buyer, in many cases inherit the debt is the chosen option if it has decent conditions or the buyer do not have that money.

 

[UER]

Also want to add that while I know the poster got a little brash at one point, I don’t want this thread to devolve into madness in the event they are wrong.

No worries, I know I am not wrong

 

[unifannew]

Hello, newbie here!
After the recent rumors on Universal for UK and land buying, how does this leave the PortAventura buy thing?

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Hello, newbie here!
After the recent rumors on Universal for UK and land buying, how does this leave the PortAventura buy thing?

it was probably seen as an alternative/distraction lol

 

[Alicia]

My take this year has been that PAW *wants* Universal to buy them.

But it has not yet happened.

Beyond that, it's hard to pin down anything that does not lead me to those two conclusions.

Things could always change later though. I never say never.

 

[GAcoaster]

I'd guess if the owners become desperate enough to make the price worth considering, it could happen. I'm sure it was explored as a possibility and is always a thought (especially if the UK falls through somehow)

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'd guess if the owners become desperate enough to make the price worth considering, it could happen. I'm sure it was explored as a possibility and is always a thought (especially if the UK falls through somehow)

a nice plan b to fall on

 

[unifannew]

My take this year has been that PAW *wants* Universal to buy them.

But it has not yet happened.

Beyond that, it's hard to pin down anything that does not lead me to those two conclusions.

Things could always change later though. I never say never.

What two conclusions?

 

[Alicia]

What two conclusions?

1. PAW *wants* Universal to buy them.

2. It has not yet happened.

 

[Nico]

a nice plan b to fall on

That is what happened the first time.

 

[wutisgood]

I have no problem with someone being a bit cocky of they have iron clad sources that end up being right, but oh geez does one look like an idiot when they don't.

 

[Nico]

I have no problem with someone being a bit cocky of they have iron clad sources that end up being right, but oh geez does one look like an idiot when they don't.

It’s not over til there’s a buyer. It’s the only thing definitive.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Forgive me if I'm wrong about this, but wasn't the prodding by this thread what lead to us discovering Universal's domain purchases in Britain to begin with?