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Water park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the American band, seeWaterparks (band).For the title in the Peerage of Ireland, seeBaron Waterpark.
Typhoon LagoonatWalt Disney Worldis the most visited water park inNorth America,and the second most visited in the world

Awater park(alsowaterpark,water world,oraquapark) is anamusement parkthat features water play areas such asswimming pools,water slides,splash pads,water playgrounds, andlazy rivers,as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other barefoot environments. Modern water parks may also be equipped with some type of artificialsurfingorbodyboardingenvironment, such as awave poolorflowrider.

History[edit]

Children's play area at WaterWorld Themed Waterpark inAyia Napa,Cyprus

Water parks have grown in popularity since their introduction in the late 1940s and early 1950s. TheUnited Stateshas the largest and most concentrated water park market, with over 1,000 water parks and dozens of new parks opening each year. Major organizations are theIAAPA(International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) and WWA (World Waterpark Association), which is the industry trade association.[1]

Water parks which emerge from spas tend to more closely resemble mountain resorts, as they become year-round destinations. For example,Splash Universe Water Park Resortis themed to match the community in which it is located. The theme is intended to enhance the community's destination appeal. Therefore, the amusement and leisure-time industry is becoming more concentrated, as winter sports are becoming common themes in summertime water recreation.

A process of concentration can be observed in the hybrid versions oftheme-,amusement-,and water parks. Some water parks are more spa-oriented. For example,SchwabenQuellenhas no water slides; it has instead manysaunas,steam rooms,"adventure showers", and relaxation-oriented water play areas.[citation needed]

In the 2000s, an effort was made to reduce long waiting lines by introducingconveyor beltsto lift passengers[2]or use water jets.[3]

An unusual feature at a water park isice skating.Deep River Water Parkin northwesternIndianafeatures ice skating, made possible by cooling pipes installed under their massive plaza.[4]

Indoor water parks[edit]

Main article:Indoor water park
A modern indoor water park in China

Some of the first indoor water parks areTikibad[nl]atDuinrell(The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located atHaguenau(France, 1984), the Aqua Mundo atCenter ParcDe Eemhof located atZeewolde(The Netherlands, 1980) andAlpamare (Pfäffikon)[de](Switzerland, 1977).[5][6][7][8]

In 1986World Waterparkwas open inEdmonton,Alberta, Canada at theWest Edmonton Mall.[9][10]It is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in North America.[11][12]

Tropical Islands Resort(Germany), with an area of 66,000 m2(710,418 sq ft), is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in the world.[13][14]

With five indoor water parks,Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsinhas been dubbed the "Water Park Capital of the World". It showcases several of America's largest indoor and outdoor water parks, such asNoah's Ark Water Park.Wisconsin Dells is also home to the first indoor water park in the United States, which was debuted in 1994 by the Polynesian Resort Hotel.[15]

Success in extending the tourist season and turning water park resorts into vacation destinations has resulted in tremendous industry growth. Usually, resort hotels featuring massive indoor water parks have been reserved for overnight guests. Companies likeGreat Wolf Resorts/Great Wolf Lodge andKalahari Resortshave branched out from their origin in Wisconsin Dells to open new locations around the country. Mt. Olympus Theme and Water Park (formerly Family Land) is another huge water park in the Dells.

The largest indoor water park in the UK isSandcastle Water ParkinBlackpool,England, which opened in 1986.[16]

There are many water parks in southern Europe where the climate suits a long season. For example, inPortugal'sAlgarve,there are three main parks: Aqualand, Aquashow, and Slide n' Splash.

Water play areas[edit]

Water play areas are similar to water parks and includeurban beaches,splash pads,and smaller collections ofwater slidesin many hotels and publicswimming pools.

For example, theChelsea HotelinTorontofeatures a four-story water slide called the Corkscrew.

Safety[edit]

According to estimates from theU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,more than 4,200 people annually are sent to emergency rooms from suffering injuries on public waterslides. In July 2015, one drowning and at least three near-drownings were reported at water parks in the United States.[17]

On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of American politicianScott Schwab,wasdecapitatedon theVerrücktwater ride at theSchlitterbahnwater park inKansas City,Kansas.[17][18]Following the fatal incident, Verrückt permanently closed.[19]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"NFPA announces launch of online smoke alarm pledge in partnership with LEGOLAND Florida Resort and LEGOLAND California Resort".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-09-05.Retrieved2014-09-03.
  2. ^This feature was applied atCaribbean BayWild River zone,Everland Resort,South Korea
  3. ^This feature was applied atWild Wadiin Jumeirah Hotel,Dubai
  4. ^"Deep River Waterpark - NW Indiana, Chicagoland & So. Michigans Largest".deep-river-waterpark.
  5. ^Rogier van der Zanden (June 28, 2019)."Tikibad Duinrell breidt uit naar buiten en is daarna nog lang niet af"(in Dutch).Omroep West.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  6. ^"Parcs de loisirs"(PDF).P.C.M. Ponts et Chaussées et Mines(in French) (5). Paris: Association professionnelle des ingénieurs des Ponts et Chaussées et Mines: 50. 1986.ISSN0397-4634.OCLC473874833.RetrievedSeptember 29,2019.
  7. ^ Tracey Davies (August 15, 2012)."How Centre Parcs opened my eyes".The Independent.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  8. ^""Die Freude der Kinder ist die gleiche geblieben"".Neue Zürcher Zeitung(in German). August 4, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  9. ^"Throwback thursday: Brampton's Shoppers World was first in Canada to build indoor water slide".Brampton Guardian.May 3, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  10. ^"Taking a deep dive into the history of WEM's waterpark".Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.October 9, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  11. ^Hinson, Tamara (July 31, 2013)."12 of the world's best water parks".CNN.RetrievedMay 18,2014.
  12. ^"Where Can I Find the Largest Indoor Water Park?".The 6th Floor.The New York Times. July 26, 2012.RetrievedMay 18,2014.
  13. ^"6 Largest Indoor Water Parks in the World".Touropia.Retrieved2016-05-27.
  14. ^Eloi Rouyer (February 3, 2014)."Sous les tropiques... en Allemagne".La Presse(in French).RetrievedSeptember 24,2019.
  15. ^"Wisconsin Dells: The Waterpark Capital of the World".TripSavvy.Retrieved2021-07-25.
  16. ^"Sandcastle Waterpark is the UKs Largest Indoor Waterpark".sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk.
  17. ^abSchneider, Roger (2016-08-08)."Safety issues, statistics about water parks in the US".Associated Press.Retrieved2021-07-31.
  18. ^Sudekum, Maria (2016-08-10)."10-year-old boy who died on Kansas waterslide was decapitated: report".Global News.Retrieved2021-07-31.
  19. ^Hollandsworth, Skip."Schlitterbahn's Tragic Slide".Texas Monthly.

Further reading[edit]

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