PortAventura World is an entertainment resort in

Salou Salou () is a municipality of the '' comarca'' of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The city is approximately 10 km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112 km from Barcelona. Founded by the Gre ...

and

Vila-seca Vila-seca (; literally 'Dry-town') is a municipality of the ''comarca'' of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The historical name was ''Vila-seca de Solcina'' and since the 80's known as ''Vila-seca i Salou'' until Salo ...

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...

, on the Costa Daurada in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It was built around the

PortAventura Park PortAventura Park is a theme park located in the PortAventura World Resort, 85 km southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in the municipalities of Salou and Vila-seca, on the Costa Daurada. The park opened on 1 May 1995 under the manageme ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, which attracts around 3.5 million visitors per year, making it the most visited theme park in Spain and the sixth most visited theme park in Europe. The resort includes a second theme park, Ferrari Land, since 2017 and also includes PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park, five hotels, a convention centre and an

RV park A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a tru ...

. It is the biggest resort in the south of Europe which attracts around five million visitors per year. Reus Airport lies within 15 minutes driving distance and

Barcelona Airport Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

within one hour. The train station ''Salou - Port Aventura'' is 750m from the resort entrance, and is served by line R17 trains to Barcelona and Tarragona.

History

When

Port Aventura A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

opened in 1995 in Salou,

The Tussauds Group The Tussauds Group was an entertainment company which is now a part of Merlin Entertainments. It was based in Poole, Dorset from where it managed a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions that included the Madame Tussauds waxworks, Legoland ...

owned 40.0% of the park while

La Caixa La Caixa, also known as the "La Caixa" Foundation ( es, Fundación ”la Caixa”), is a not-for-profit banking foundation based in Catalonia. Originally a savings bank (''caja''), it reorganized in the 2000s and 2010s: Its commercial assets are ...

had 33.2%,

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

had 19.9%, and FECSA had 6.7%. In 1998 the majority of Tussauds Group's shares in the park were sold to

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

and the park was rebranded as 'Universal's Port Aventura', which made it the first Universal Studios Theme Park in Europe. In 2002, a water park (''Costa Caribe'') and two hotels (''Hotel PortAventura'' and ''Hotel El Paso'') were constructed, and the resort was further rebranded as 'Universal Mediterranea'. In 2004,

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primaril ...

(Universal Studios' parent) sold all interest in PortAventura. It is owned and operated by

banking group's investment vehicle Criteria, but as of 2005 the Universal name has been dropped from the branding, and the resort was once again named 'PortAventura' (the space in the name is deliberately left out for trademark reasons). In 2009, the resort hosted 3,310,000 visitors. In December 2013,

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a t ...

firm KKR picked up 49.9% stake in PortAventura from Investindustrial, which still owned 50.1%. In 2016 the resort was renamed as 'PortAventura World Parks & Resort'. The second theme park, Ferrari Land, was inaugurated on 7 April 2017. PortAventura Dream Village, an exclusive vacation for guests with additional needs, opened in 2017.

PortAventura Park

The park features five theme areas based on civilizations (Mediterrània, Far West, México, China and Polynesia), and one theme area based on

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

. Mediterrània is the main entrance area of the park. ;Main rides *

Furius Baco Furius Baco is a hydraulically launched steel roller coaster located at PortAventura Park in the resort PortAventura World, Salou, Catalonia, Spain. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened on June 5, 2007 as the fastest roller coaster in Euro ...

, an Intamin

Accelerator Coaster An Accelerator Coaster is a hydraulically launched roller coaster model from Intamin. The model usually consists of a long, straight launch track, a ''top hat'' tower element, and magnetic brakes that smoothly stop the train without making con ...

with winged seating, which opened in June 2007. It has a top speed of 83.9 mph (135 km/h). * Stampida, a dueling

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...

. * Tomahawk, a junior version of Stampida and which runs parallel to it. * Silver River Flume, a traditional

log flume A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pr ...

. * Grand Canyon Rapids, a whitewater

river rapids ride A river rapids ride (or river rafting ride) is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting. History The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall (general manager of AstroWorld in Houston) and developed by Intamin. AstroW ...

along the Grand Canyon. * Hurakan Condor, an Intamin

drop tower A drop tower or big drop is a type of amusement ride incorporating a central structure or tower. Drop towers vary in height, passenger capacity, lift type, and brake type. Many are custom-made, although there are some mass-produced designs. T ...

ride. This ride is one of the tallest in the world at 330 ft. * El Diablo – Tren de la Mina, an

Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (194 ...

mine train roller coaster. The top speed of the coaster is around 60 km/h. *

Dragon Khan Dragon Khan is a steel sit-down roller coaster located in the PortAventura Park theme park in Salou and Vilaseca (Tarragona), Catalonia, Spain. Dragon Khan boasts eight inversions, which was a world record until the opening of the ten-inversio ...

, with 8 inversions this formerly held the record as having more inversions than any other roller coaster. It also held the world record for the tallest vertical loop on any roller-coaster. The ride built by Bolliger & Mabillard was one of the two roller coasters that Port Aventura had when it opened. It consistently ranks among the world's best roller coasters in polls. *

Shambhala In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala ( sa, शम्भल ',''Śambhala'', also ''Sambhala'', is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers, identified by some with Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. In the Puranas, it is named as ...

, this B&M

hypercoaster A hypercoaster can mean one of two things: *Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feet Or, more narrowly: *Any complete-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between 200 and 299 feet ...

beat three European records as it was the fastest (134 km/h) and tallest roller coaster in Europe. It is 76 m tall and had longest drop in Europe at 78 m (2 m underground). * Angkor, a large splash battle themed in the

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

ruins that opened in 2014. * Tutuki Splash, a

Shoot the Chute Shoot the Chute is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume or super flume, which generally seats up to eight passengers, a modern-day Shoot the Chute ride ge ...

themed along an erupting volcano. * Tami Tami, a roller coaster for children. * Street Mission, an interactive Sesame Street dark ride.

Ferrari Land

InvestIndustrial and Ferrari signed a deal to build a new area themed to the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

sports car brand in the PortAventura resort covering 60,000 m2, including new rides, restaurants, shops and car racing simulators. Ferrari Land is the resort's second theme park, separate from PortAventura Park. Its entrance is adjacent to PortAventura Park's main entrance. The Mediterranean theme is common to both entrances, as Ferrari Land is inspired by Italy, including recreations of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

. The main ride of Ferrari Land is Red Force, a 112 m tall vertical accelerator coaster that surpassed

as the tallest coaster in Europe and is also the fastest coaster in Europe. The park was opened on 7 April 2017, after an investment of more than

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

100 million. Ferrari Land opened a kids area in 2018. Ferrari Land is the second amusement centre themed to Ferrari in the world, after

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Ferrari World Abu Dhabi ( ar, عالم فيراري أبوظبي) is a mostly indoors theme park located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the world’s first Ferrari-themed park and features Formula Rossa, the world's fas ...

Partial list of rides and attractions

Roller coasters

File:Furius baco.jpg,

File:Vertical Accelerator.jpg, Red Force

Flat rides

Water rides

Amusement rides using motion pictures

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park is a

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

which is adjacent to PortAventura Park. It has an area of 50,000 m2, which includes 16 attractions and slides, as well as over 8,500 m2 of water-covered surface area. It is themed to the Caribbean, with beaches, palm trees, and Latin and reggae music, and it also includes shops and restaurants. The park has been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak and currently is remaining closed throughout 2020.

Rides

* King Khajuna – Europe's tallest free-fall slide of 31 meters and 55-degree descent by

ProSlide ProSlide Technology, Inc. is a Canadian designer and manufacturer of water rides and water park resorts. They design and manufacture both traditional slides and innovative rides such as water coasters, funnel-shaped Tornado slides, and Bowl slid ...

. Opened in 2013. * Ciclón Tropical – MultiBUMP slide by ProSlide opened in 2013. * Rapid Race – ProSlide ProRacer opened in 2013. * The Mambo and Limbo – Two corkscrew waterslides by ProSlide. Opened in 2002. * El Tifón – Two ProSlide body waterslides opened in 2002. * El Río Loco – Lazy River opened in 2002. * El Torrente – A ProSlide Mammoth river with four-passenger round tubes, opened in 2002. * Barracudas – A pair of ProSlide tube chutes with two-passenger inline tubes, opened in 2002.

Kids rides

* Zona Indoor with Junior Slides – Indoor play area including pool and slides by

WhiteWater West WhiteWater West is a manufacturing company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1980 and manufactures a variety of products for water parks including water slides and water play areas. The company also owns FlowRi ...

. Opened in 2002. * La Laguna de Woody –

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

-themed play area by WhiteWater West. Opened in 2002.

Resort hotels

The resort features six themed hotels: * PortAventura Hotel PortAventura: Mediterranean theme (4*) * PortAventura Hotel Caribe: Caribbean theme (4*) * PortAventura Hotel El Paso: Mexican theme (4*) * PortAventura Hotel Gold River (including 'The Callaghan's'): Western theme (4*) * PortAventura Hotel Colorado Creek: Rustic Western theme (4*) * PortAventura Hotel Mansión de Lucy: Victorian-style Western theme (5*) * Hotel Ferrari: Ferrari theme (5*) (future)

Seasonal events

During seasonal events like summer nights, Halloween (September to November) and Christmas (November to January), PortAventura Park opens seasonal walkaround rides or shows, including the mazes: EC Horror in Penitence, La Selva del Miedo and the nighttime Halloween show Horror en el Lago.

References

External links

*
– Official English site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portaventura Kohlberg Kravis Roberts companies CategorY:1995 establishments in Spain