Efteling () is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

-themed

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

in Kaatsheuvel, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The attractions reflect elements from ancient European

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

s and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

s, and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature park with a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

and a '' Fairytale Forest'' into a full-sized theme park. It now caters to both children and adults with its cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes, in addition to its wide array of amusement rides including six roller coasters and four dark rides. It is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest theme parks in the world. It is twice as large as the original

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

park in the

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and predates it by three years. Annually, the park has more than 5 million visitors. In 2020, due to differences in pandemic policy, it was the most visited theme park in Europe, ahead of Disneyland Park. In 2019 and 2022, it was the third most visited theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Park, Paris and Europa-Park, Germany.

History

Efteling is one of the oldest theme parks still in existence. Its roots go when the R. K. Sport en Wandelpark was inaugurated. In 1950, Efteling Nature Park Foundation (Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling) was founded by the mayor of Loon op Zand, R.J. van der Heijden, filmmaker Peter Reijnders, and designer artist Anton Pieck (1895-1987). The foundation was named after a 16th-century farm named Ersteling. Efteling officially opened on May 31, 1952, when the Fairy Tale Forest (''het Sprookjesbos''), designed by the famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck, was opened to the public. Initially, the Fairy Tale Forest was home to some 10 different fairy tales, all of them brought to life using original drawings by Pieck alongside mechanics, lighting and sound effects designed by the Dutch filmmaker Peter Reijnders. The life-sized dioramas, displayed together in an atmospheric forest, were a tremendous success. Efteling welcomed 240,000 visitors in 1952 alone. Since 1978, the park has been expanded and grown to become one of the most popular theme parks in the world. In the same year, English singer

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

performed in the park in ''De Efteling Special'', which was broadcast on 11 May 1978. In early 1978, the amusement park's Haunted Castle was completed and the opening was scheduled on 10 May that year. Bush, who just had a big hit in the Netherlands with "

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

", made her debut on Dutch television in the special. Her popularity was used to draw the attention to the Haunted Castle. In 2010, Efteling announced plans to remain open year-round. From November through about February, the 'Winter Efteling' theme remains in place. However, attractions that involve water, such as the rapids ride 'Piraña' or the water coaster 'Vliegende Hollander' (Flying Dutchman), are closed. Gisela Williams, a reporter for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', wrote a review of the park in early 2014. Williams praised Efteling but criticized the teacups-style ride Monsieur Cannibale due to ethnic stereotypes. Her review was later mentioned in ''

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; ) is the largest Netherlands, Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, ''de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief since ...

'', a daily newspaper in the Netherlands, and drew several angry comments from its readership. Williams also received her first death threat for her comments about the controversial attraction. In recent years, activists have repeatedly requested the Efteling to remove or re-theme the attraction. In June 2021, the park closed the ride for an extensive renovation including a re-theme. The park received its 123,456,789th guest on June 19, 2015. The Efteling opened the trackless darkride Symbolica in 2017. With a price tag of 35 million euros, it is the most expensive investment in Efteling history. Beside the theme park, the Efteling operates two hotels, a theatre, and two holiday villages. The Efteling inaugurated its 30th fairytale in 2019. In December 2020, the park was forced to close in compliance with the new

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions introduced by prime minister

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...

and the third Rutte cabinet.

Design

The success of Efteling has been attributed largely to its ride designs, architecture and atmosphere. When Anton Pieck was asked to design the initial fairy tales for the Efteling, he made sure the park would live up to his personal high standards. There would be no use of cheap building materials, plastic, or concrete. Pieck's illustration style, somewhat grim and dark, but also romantic and nostalgic, was the thematic base on which nearly all future expansions were built. Pieck worked for Efteling until the mid-1970s, when his position as chief designer was passed on to the younger

Ton van de Ven Ton van de Ven (1 January 1944 – 16 September 2015) was a Dutch industrial designer. He is best known as the creative director at the Efteling theme park. Van de Ven was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where he also studied at the Design Acade ...

. Van de Ven had already been working for Efteling for several years and Pieck was very pleased with his work. The Haunted Castle (''het Spookslot''), which opened in 1978 as the park's first new large attraction, was Efteling's first to be designed entirely by Van de Ven. Van de Ven continued his work until 2002, when he retired. A new team of imagineers works on new Efteling attractions, still in a style suitable to the Efteling.

Divisions

The Efteling Theme Park Resort now comprises several divisions: the theme park (1952), the four-star Efteling Wonder Hotel (1992), Efteling Theatre (2002), and the accommodation parks: Efteling Bosrijk (2009) & Het Loonsche Land (2017). The theatre, which was once used for park shows, is one of the five biggest theatres in the Netherlands and can house big theatre productions, which will not be included in park admissions. Besides using it as a home base for shows/musicals created by the Efteling itself (like "Droomvlucht") it also lends itself out for other big productions, events, and business events. The hotel was operated by Golden Tulip for several years, but Efteling decided in 2004 to manage it independently. The divisions are each contained in commercial corporations, but all shares are still held by the

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

Efteling Nature Park Foundation (''Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling'').

The park

The theme park covers . This area has changed only marginally over the course of its history. The Efteling Theme Park Resort also offers the Efteling hotel, the Efteling hotel Loonsche Land, a theatre, a golf course, Villa Pardoes, and two holiday villages (Efteling Bosrijk and Efteling Loonsche Land) on . The park's foundation owns a total of also including young forest, nature reserve, some grassland, fields and roads. The park is divided into five themed areas or 'realms'. Originally, the park was divided into four areas called North, West, East, and South, with most of the park's historical rides and attractions, such as the Fairy Tale Forest, located in West. When the park reorganized its infrastructure in the late 1990s, adding the Pardoes Promenade (named after Efteling's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

''Pardoes'', a court

jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

) and a central hub called Efteling Brink, it also changed the areas' names. North was changed to ''Reizenrijk'' (Travel Realm), West became ''Marerijk'' (Fairy Realm), East became ''Ruigrijk'' (Adventure Realm), and South became ''Anderrijk'' (Other Realm). In 2017 a fifth realm opened in the center of the park called ''Fantasierijk'' (Fantasy Realm). Although the park was not built with these divisions in mind and the names may seem cryptic, they do make sense. Perhaps the area most suited to its name is ''Ruigrijk'', where most fast rides such as the double-loop

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

Python (constructed in 1981) are located. ''Marerijk'' is the home to the Fairy Tale Forest and the Fairies of the ''Droomvlucht'', ''Anderrijk'' has some rides that are inspired by non-Western cultures (e.g. Fata Morgana and Piraña), while ''Reizenrijk'' has the Carnaval Festival ride, which travels through several different 'countries'. The ''Fantasierijk'' got its name from the darkride ''Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy''. Efteling was largely built in an existing

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

forest located in a rural area, giving it a 'nature park' feeling. Together with its large ponds and gardens, its abundant green space is rather unusual among the world's leading theme parks.

Efteling Grand Hotel

The Efteling Grand Hotel is an upcoming hotel located in the Efteling theme park in the

. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2025, it will be the largest hotel within the park and will provide direct access to its attractions. The hotel will feature 140 rooms and suites, each designed with a unique color theme and incorporating subtle references to Efteling’s fairytale aesthetic. It will consist of seven floors and include various amenities such as restaurants, a

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

, and wellness facilities. Each room is designed in a single-color theme with decorative elements inspired by Efteling. A total of 644 beds will be available, with an emphasis on comfort through high-quality pillows and duvets. The

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

will include a spacious lobby, shopping facilities, and dining options. The hotel will offer multiple dining options, including Brasserie 7, a casual dining venue featuring a variety of dishes, with a conservatory overlooking the Aquanura water show. For a more refined experience, Restaurant & Bar Mystique will provide an extended dining experience with a selection of

cocktails A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely acro ...

and bar snacks. In addition to dining, guests will have access to wellness and recreational facilities. The Pool & Spa area will feature a swimming pool designed around a spring theme, as well as a wellness area with a

sauna A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...

, steam bath, and massage services. The Efteling Grand Hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2025. It is centrally located within Efteling, allowing guests easy access to the theme park’s attractions.

Attractions and rides

PANOrama decor Raveleijn Efteling 20120915 155711

* 1952 – Fairytale Forest (Dutch: ''Sprookjesbos''; Anton Pieck, Peter Reijnders,

, Henny Knoet, Michel den Dulk, Karel Willemen and Pim-Martijn Sanders) * 1954 – Children's Railway (Dutch: ''Kinderspoor''), ( pedal trains, Anton Pieck and Peter Reijnders) * 1954 – Anton Pieck Square (Dutch: ''Anton Pieckplein''), (square with nostalgic rides, Anton Pieck and Michel den Dulk) * 1956 – Stoomcarrousel (

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

, bought from L. Janvier) * 1969 – Stoomtrein (a narrow-gauge

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

) * 1971 –

Diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

( Model railway/

, Anton Pieck) * 1981 – Python (double loop corkscrew

, Vekoma) (original demolished in 2018, replaced by a replica 3 months later) * 1981 – Gondoletta ( tow boat ride, Ton van de Ven) * 1982 – Half Moon (Dutch: ''Halve Maen'') ( ship swing, Ton van de Ven) * 1983 – Piraña ( river rafting ride, Ton van de Ven) * 1984 – Carnival Festival ( dark ride, Geesink) * 1984 – Tin Lizzies (Dutch: ''De Oude Tuffer'') (car ride, Ton van de Ven) * 1986 – Fata Morgana (dark, tow boat ride, Ton van de Ven) * 1987 –

Pagode Pagode () is a Brazilian style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a subgenre of Samba. Pagode originally meant a celebration with food, music, dance, and party. In 1978, singer Beth Carvalho was introduced to this music, like ...

(

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

, Ton van de Ven) * 1990 – The People of Laaf (Dutch: ''Volk van Laaf'') (Ton van de Ven) * 1993 – Dreamflight (Dutch: ''Droomvlucht'') (dark ride, Ton van de Ven) * 1996 – The House of the Five Senses (Dutch: ''Het huis van de 5 zintuigen'') (park entrance, Ton van de Ven) * 1996 – Villa Volta ( madhouse, Vekoma) * 1998 – Bird Rok (Dutch: ''Vogel Rok'') ( enclosed roller coaster, Ton van de Ven) * 2007 – The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: ''De Vliegende Hollander'') ( water coaster / dark ride, Karel Willemen) * 2010 – George and the Dragon (Dutch: ''Joris en de Draak'') ( wooden racing coaster, Karel Willemen) * 2011 – Ravelin (Dutch: ''Raveleijn'') (

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, Sander de Bruijn) * 2012 – Aquanura ( Musical Fountain, WET) * 2015 – Baron 1898 ( dive coaster Bolliger & Mabillard, Sander de Bruijn) * 2017 – Symbolica ( dark ride, ETF Ride Systems/Sander de Bruijn and others) * 2019 – Fabula replaces the former PandaVision (€3.5 million renovation by Efteling and Aardman Animations) * 2020 – Max & Moritz (double roller coaster, Mack Rides), Robbert Jaap Janssen * 2022 – Sirocco replaces the former Monsieur Canibale, Jeroen Verheij * 2024 –

Danse Macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory from the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of death, summoning represen ...

, (dynamic motion stage,

Intamin Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing Amusement ride, thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other e ...

) Jeroen Verheij Former attractions: * 1953 – 2011 Rowing Pond ( Dutch: ''Roeivijver''), replaced by Aquanura * 1953 – 1988 Swimming Pool ( Dutch: ''Zwembad'') * 1966 – 2010 Water Organ ( Dutch: ''Waterorgel''), in use as a TV studio since 2010 * 1978 – 2022 Haunted Castle (Dutch: ''Spookslot'') ( haunted attraction, Ton van de Ven and Anton Pieck), closed 2022, replaced by

in 2024. * 1984 – 2020 Polka Marina (a combination of a carousel and a minirollercoaster, Ton van de Ven) * 1985 – 2019 Bob Track (Dutch: ''Bobbaan'') ( bobsled roller coaster,

), demolished in 2019, replaced by Max & Moritz * 1988 – 2021 Monsieur Cannibale ( teacups ride, Henny Knoet) Replaced by Sirocco * 1991 – 2009

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

(junior

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 be ...

, demolished in 2009), replaced by George and the Dragon * 2002 – 2019 PandaVision (Dutch: ''Pandadroom'') (a

4-D film 4D or 4-D primarily refers to: * 4-dimensional spacetime: three-dimensional space of length, width, and height, plus time * Four-dimensional space It may also refer to: Computers and photography * 4D (software), a complete programming environme ...

cinema, Van Doorn and associates), replaced by Fabula Bosrijk dorpsplein

Other ventures operating independently from the amusement park: * 1992 – Efteling Wonder Hotel - Known simply as the Efteling Hotel until 2025 * 1995 – Efteling Golf course (Dutch: ''Golfclub Efteling'') - No longer a part of Efteling, following a transfer to the Hollandsche Golfbaan Exploitatiemaatschappij in 2021, and renamed Golf Park De Loonsche Duynen. * 2002 – Efteling Theatre (theatre,

) * 2008 – Efteling Radio (radio station) * 2009 – Efteling Bosrijk (accommodation area, Karel Willemen) * 2017 – The Loonsche Land (Dutch: ''Het Loonsche Land'') (accommodation) * 2025 – Efteling Grand Hotel

Awards

* In 1971, the Efteling was the first theme park to receive the '' Pomme d'Or'' (Golden Apple), in recognition of superior efforts in promoting and raising Europe's level of tourism. The ''Pomme d'Or'' is the highest award in the European tourist industry. *In 1992, the Efteling was awarded the IAAPA Applause Award for best theme park in the world. *In 1997, Villa Volta, as the first 'new style' madhouse in the world, received the Thea Attraction Award. *In 2005, the Efteling received the Thea Classic Award for the year 2004, a notable token of recognition of quality awarded by other people in the themed entertainment industry. Efteling is the second park to receive a prize for their entire oeuvre, the first being

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli (), is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

in Copenhagen, Denmark. *In 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Efteling won the award for the best holiday park in the Netherlands according to the booking sites BungalowSpecials.nl, BungalowSpecials.be, FerienparkSpecials.de and HolidayParkSpecials.co.uk. These awards were based solely on ratings from guests who have stayed at the Efteling. *In 2017, the Efteling was titled 'Best Themepark' in the world by Theme Park Insider, based on overall reader and visitor ratings. *In 2018, Symbolica received the TEA Award For Outstanding Achievement. *In 2018, 'Best Themepark' and 'Best new dark ride' in the world by Theme Park Insider. *In 2019, 'Best Themepark' in The Netherlands & Belgium. Diamond Theme Park Awards 2019.

Economy and governance

Structure

The Efteling is a private company limited by shares. The Efteling Nature Park Foundation (''Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling'') is the only shareholder. The foundation was founded in 1950 by R.J.Th. van der Heijden, Peter Reijnders, and Anton Pieck. The company is led by two directors. They manage four sections: the theme park, the Efteling Hotel, the Efteling Golf course, and the Efteling Theatre. Since April 17, 2014, the company's CEO has been Fons Jurgens.

Employees

In the high season, Efteling employs 2,500 workers. In 2000, the number was 1670, of which 400 had a permanent contract (24%), 450 were seasonal employees (27%) and 820 had temp jobs (49%).

Visitors

ImageSize = width:677 height:336 PlotArea = left:70 right:10 top:10 bottom:20 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify Colors = id:gray1 value:gray(0.9) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:2008 till:2020 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:2008 PlotData = bar:16000000 color:gray1 width:1 from:start till:end bar:15000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:14000000 color:gray1 width:1 from:start till:end bar:13000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:12000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:11000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:10000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:9000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:8000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:7000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:6000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:5000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:4000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:3000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:2000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:1000000 color:gray1 from:start till:end bar:0 color:gray1 # x: 70+((year-2007)×50) # y: 20+((305/16.000.000)×Attendance) LineData = layer:front points:(65,82)(70,82) color:blue width:2 #2008: 3.290.000 points:(70,82)(120,96) color:blue width:2 #2009: 4.000.000 points:(120,96)(170,96) color:blue width:2 #2010: 4.000.000 points:(170,96)(220,99) color:blue width:2 #2011: 4.125.000 points:(220,99)(270,101) color:blue width:2 #2012: 4.230.000 points:(270,101)(320,100) color:blue width:2 #2013: 4.150.000 points:(320,100)(370,104) color:blue width:2 #2014: 4.400.000 points:(370,104)(420,109) color:blue width:2 #2015: 4.680.000 points:(420,109)(470,111) color:blue width:2 #2016: 4.760.000 points:(470,111)(520,119) color:blue width:2 #2017: 5.180.000 points:(520,119)(570,123) color:blue width:2 #2018: 5.400.000 points:(570,123)(620,123) color:blue width:2 #2019: 5.400.000 points:(620,123)(670,75) color:blue width:2 #2020: 2.900.000 LineData = layer:front points:(65,262)(70,262) color:red width:2 #2008: 12.688.000 points:(70,262)(120,263) color:red width:2 #2009: 12.740.000 points:(120,263)(170,220) color:red width:2 #2010: 10.500.000 points:(170,220)(220,229) color:red width:2 #2011: 10.990.000 points:(220,229)(270,239) color:red width:2 #2012: 11.500.000 points:(270,239)(320,219) color:red width:2 #2013: 10.430.000 points:(320,219)(370,209) color:red width:2 #2014: 9.940.000 points:(370,209)(420,217) color:red width:2 #2015: 9.790.000 points:(420,217)(470,180) color:red width:2 #2016: 8.400.000 points:(470,180)(520,204) color:red width:2 #2017: 9.660.000 points:(520,204)(570,208) color:red width:2 #2018: 9.840.000 points:(570,208)(620,206) color:red width:2 #2019: 9.745.000 points:(620,206)(670,69) color:red width:2 #2020: 2.620.000 : Disneyland Paris,

#2 amusement park in Europe of annual attendance, in 2020

: Efteling,

#1 amusement park in Europe of annual attendance, in 2020

Efteling welcomed 3,240,000 visitors in 2007, making it the most popular theme park in the Netherlands. In 2009, the park's attendance surpassed for the first time since its opening 4,000,000 visitors and in 2017 roughly 5,180,000 visitors went to the park, making it the most popular tourist daytrip destination in all categories. The objective was to reach 5 million admissions in 2020. It is reached in 2017, three years earlier than expected. In its opening year (1952), the park had 222,941 visitors. In 1954, the millionth visitor since the official opening was welcomed. In 1983, the attendance increases by 30%. Efteling is the leading leisure park in Europe with 1.9 million visitors per year. In 1989, Efteling leads European parks in terms of attendance, 2.1 million people go to the park, including 1.6 million from the Netherlands. In 1991, Efteling is on the top step of the European podium with 2.6 million visitors. On the second step, three parks have 2 million admissions: Europa-Park,

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton, Staffordshire, Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, Merlin Entertainments Group a ...

and Phantasialand. On the third step, two parks show 1.4 million admissions: Walibi Wavre and Parc Astérix. Most of the visitors are Dutch; 94% of the Dutch population has visited the park. About 16% of visitors live in areas such as

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

(Belgium),

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

(Germany) and

Southern England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...

(UK). A graph of the number of visitors of the Efteling during the period 1952–2018: ImageSize = width:777 height:336 PlotArea = left:70 right:10 top:10 bottom:20 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify Colors = id:gray1 value:gray(0.9) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1952 till:2020 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1955 PlotData = bar:6000000 color:gray1 width:1 #gridlijn ywaarde6_3 from:start till:end bar:5000000 color:gray1 width:1 #gridlijn ywaarde5_3 from:start till:end bar:4000000 color:gray1 #gridlijn ywaarde4_3 from:start till:end bar:3000000 color:gray1 #gridlijn ywaarde3_3 from:start till:end bar:2000000 color:gray1 #gridlijn ywaarde2_3 from:start till:end bar:1000000 color:gray1 #gridlijn ywaarde1_3 from:start till:end bar:0 color:gray1 # berekening van xwaarde punt: 70+((jaartal-jaartalminimum)×10) # berekening van ywaarde punt: 20+(50×bezoekers) LineData = layer:front points:(90,31)(100,40) color:blue width:2 #1952: 222.941 & #1953: 411.671 points:(100,40)(110,48) color:blue width:2 #1954: 561.433 points:(110,48)(120,55) color:blue width:2 #1955: 705.941 points:(120,55)(130,57) color:blue width:2 #1956: 737.170 points:(130,57)(140,53) color:blue width:2 #1957: 664.384 points:(140,53)(150,53) color:blue width:2 #1958: 663.639 points:(150,53)(160,57) color:blue width:2 #1959: 743.862 points:(160,57)(170,55) color:blue width:2 #1960: 710.032 points:(170,55)(180,63) color:blue width:2 #1961: 862.701 points:(180,63)(190,66) color:blue width:2 #1962: 914.876 points:(190,66)(200,63) color:blue width:2 #1963: 862.687 points:(200,63)(210,66) color:blue width:2 #1964: 925.073 points:(210,66)(220,63) color:blue width:2 #1965: 858.156 points:(220,63)(230,77) color:blue width:2 #1966: 1.145.184 points:(230,77)(240,76) color:blue width:2 #1967: 1.114.926 points:(240,76)(250,76) color:blue width:2 #1968: 1.121.923 points:(250,76)(260,74) color:blue width:2 #1969: 1.080.137 points:(260,74)(270,75) color:blue width:2 #1970: 1.108.857 points:(270,75)(280,83) color:blue width:2 #1971: 1.254.812 points:(280,83)(290,83) color:blue width:2 #1972: 1.264.953 points:(290,83)(300,81) color:blue width:2 #1973: 1.220.969 points:(300,81)(310,81) color:blue width:2 #1974: 1.230.889 points:(310,81)(320,82) color:blue width:2 #1975: 1.246.649 points:(320,82)(330,78) color:blue width:2 #1976: 1.163.974 points:(330,78)(340,77) color:blue width:2 #1977: 1.133.504 points:(340,77)(350,92) color:blue width:2 #1978: 1.449.078 points:(350,92)(360,86) color:blue width:2 #1979: 1.321.970 points:(360,86)(370,84) color:blue width:2 #1980: 1.287.440 points:(370,84)(380,103) color:blue width:2 #1981: 1.669.868 points:(380,103)(390,97) color:blue width:2 #1982: 1.536.479 points:(390,97)(400,119) color:blue width:2 #1983: 1.979.000 points:(400,119)(410,117) color:blue width:2 #1984: 1.942.000 points:(410,117)(420,128) color:blue width:2 #1985: 2.157.255 points:(420,128)(430,135) color:blue width:2 #1986: 2.304.768 points:(430,135)(440,131) color:blue width:2 #1987: 2.220.000 points:(440,131)(450,125) color:blue width:2 #1988: 2.100.000 points:(450,125)(460,123) color:blue width:2 #1989: 2.064.000 points:(460,123)(470,130) color:blue width:2 #1990: 2.200.000 points:(470,130)(480,145) color:blue width:2 #1991: 2.500.000 points:(480,145)(490,135) color:blue width:2 #1992: 2.300.000 points:(490,135)(500,156) color:blue width:2 #1993: 2.717.000 points:(500,156)(510,147) color:blue width:2 #1994: 2.530.000 points:(510,147)(520,153) color:blue width:2 #1995: 2.650.000 points:(520,153)(530,173) color:blue width:2 #1996: 3.051.311 points:(530,173)(540,175) color:blue width:2 #1997: 3.100.000 points:(540,175)(550,155) color:blue width:2 #1998: 2.700.000 points:(550,155)(560,170) color:blue width:2 #1999: 3.000.000 points:(560,170)(570,175) color:blue width:2 #2000: 3.100.000 points:(570,175)(580,178) color:blue width:2 #2001: 3.150.000 points:(580,178)(590,191) color:blue width:2 #2002: 3.417.000 points:(590,191)(600,182) color:blue width:2 #2003: 3.235.000 points:(600,182)(610,183) color:blue width:2 #2004: 3.253.000 points:(610,183)(620,179) color:blue width:2 #2005: 3.170.000 points:(620,179)(630,173) color:blue width:2 #2006: 3.050.000 points:(630,173)(640,182) color:blue width:2 #2007: 3.240.000 points:(640,182)(650,185) color:blue width:2 #2008: 3.290.000 points:(650,185)(660,219) color:blue width:2 #2009: 4.000.000 points:(660,219)(670,219) color:blue width:2 #2010: 4.000.000 points:(670,220)(680,226) color:blue width:2 #2011: 4.125.000 points:(680,226)(690,231) color:blue width:2 #2012: 4.230.000 points:(690,231)(700,227) color:blue width:2 #2013: 4.150.000 points:(700,227)(710,239) color:blue width:2 #2014: 4.400.000 points:(710,239)(720,254) color:blue width:2 #2015: 4.680.000 points:(720,254)(730,258) color:blue width:2 #2016: 4.760.000 points:(730,258)(740,279) color:blue width:2 #2017: 5.186.945 points:(740,279)(750,290) color:blue width:2 #2018: 5.400.000

Ticket price

A graph of the ticket price in euros of the Efteling during the period 1952-2014: ImageSize = width:736 height:230 PlotArea = left:70 right:10 top:10 bottom:20 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify Colors = id:gray1 value:gray(0.9) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1952 till:2015 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1955 PlotData = bar:40 color:gray1 width:1 #gridline ywaarde4_3 from:start till:end bar:30 color:gray1 #gridline yvalue3_3 from:start till:end bar:20 color:gray1 #gridline yvalue2_3 from:start till:end bar:10 color:gray1 #gridline yvalue1_3 from:start till:end bar:0 color:gray1 # calculation of value x point: 70+((year minus minimumyear)×10) # calculation of value y point: ticket price in euro's LineData = layer:front points:(90,22)(100,22) color:blue width:2 #1952: 0,36 & #1953: 0,36 points:(100,22)(110,22) color:blue width:2 #1954: 0,39 points:(110,22)(120,22) color:blue width:2 #1955: 0,41 points:(120,22)(130,23) color:blue width:2 #1956: 0,45 points:(130,23)(140,23) color:blue width:2 #1957: 0,45 points:(140,23)(150,23) color:blue width:2 #1958: 0,45 points:(150,23)(160,23) color:blue width:2 #1959: 0,45 points:(160,23)(170,23) color:blue width:2 #1960: 0,45 points:(170,23)(180,23) color:blue width:2 #1961: 0,45 points:(180,23)(190,23) color:blue width:2 #1962: 0,45 points:(190,23)(200,23) color:blue width:2 #1963: 0,45 points:(200,23)(210,23) color:blue width:2 #1964: 0,45 points:(210,23)(220,24) color:blue width:2 #1965: 0,68 points:(220,24)(230,25) color:blue width:2 #1966: 0,73 points:(230,25)(240,26) color:blue width:2 #1967: 0,91 points:(240,26)(250,26) color:blue width:2 #1968: 0,91 points:(250,26)(260,26) color:blue width:2 #1969: 0,91 points:(260,26)(270,27) color:blue width:2 #1970: 1,13 points:(270,27)(280,28) color:blue width:2 #1971: 1,36 points:(280,28)(290,28) color:blue width:2 #1972: 1,36 points:(290,28)(300,29) color:blue width:2 #1973: 1,59 points:(300,29)(310,30) color:blue width:2 #1974: 1,82 points:(310,30)(320,32) color:blue width:2 #1975: 2,27 points:(320,32)(330,35) color:blue width:2 #1976: 2,72 points:(330,35)(340,37) color:blue width:2 #1977: 3,18 points:(340,37)(350,38) color:blue width:2 #1978: 3,40 points:(350,38)(360,39) color:blue width:2 #1979: 3,63 points:(360,39)(370,40) color:blue width:2 #1980: 3,86 points:(370,40)(380,44) color:blue width:2 #1981: 4,54 points:(380,44)(390,46) color:blue width:2 #1982: 4,99 points:(390,46)(400,49) color:blue width:2 #1983: 5,67 points:(400,49)(410,52) color:blue width:2 #1984: 6,13 points:(410,52)(420,55) color:blue width:2 #1985: 6,81 points:(420,55)(430,58) color:blue width:2 #1986: 7,49 points:(430,58)(440,62) color:blue width:2 #1987: 8,17 points:(440,62)(450,64) color:blue width:2 #1988: 8,62 points:(450,64)(460,66) color:blue width:2 #1989: 9,08 points:(460,66)(470,69) color:blue width:2 #1990: 9,53 points:(470,69)(480,72) color:blue width:2 #1991: 10,21 points:(480,72)(490,78) color:blue width:2 #1992: 11,34 points:(490,78)(500,85) color:blue width:2 #1993: 12,71 points:(500,85)(510,89) color:blue width:2 #1994: 13,61 points:(510,89)(520,91) color:blue width:2 #1995: 14,70 points:(520,91)(530,95) color:blue width:2 #1996: 14,75 points:(530,95)(540,100) color:blue width:2 #1997: 15,88 points:(540,100)(550,100) color:blue width:2 #1998: 15,88 points:(550,100)(560,106) color:blue width:2 #1999: 17,02 points:(560,106)(570,109) color:blue width:2 #2000: 17,70 points:(570,109)(580,116) color:blue width:2 #2001: 19,06 points:(580,116)(590,126) color:blue width:2 #2002: 21 points:(590,126)(600,131) color:blue width:2 #2003: 22 points:(600,131)(610,136) color:blue width:2 #2004: 23 points:(610,136)(620,141) color:blue width:2 #2005: 24 points:(620,141)(630,146) color:blue width:2 #2006: 25 points:(630,146)(640,151) color:blue width:2 #2007: 26 points:(640,151)(650,156) color:blue width:2 #2008: 27 points:(650,156)(660,161) color:blue width:2 #2009: 28 points:(660,161)(670,166) color:blue width:2 #2010: 29 points:(670,166)(680,181) color:blue width:2 #2011: 32 points:(680,181)(690,186) color:blue width:2 #2012: 33 points:(690,186)(700,193) color:blue width:2 #2013: 34,50 points:(700,193)(710,196) color:blue width:2 #2014: 35,00 points:(710,196)(720,201) color:blue width:2 #2014: 36,00 From 1952 to 2002, the ticket price was set in Dutch guilders. These prices were converted to

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s using a conversion factor of 0.45378. In 1952, the ticket price was 0.80 Dutch guilders (0.36 euro). From 1956 to 1965, the ticket price was 1 Dutch guilder. The price had risen to 42 Dutch guilders by 2001 and was converted to 21 euros in 2002, during the switch to the euro in the Netherlands. tickets cost 42.00 euros or 40.00 euros by "low season". There are also tickets for 68.00 euros that include lunch, dinner and free parking among other things. Tickets ordered online are sold with a discount of 2 euros. Admission is free for children under 4.

Investments

On December 11, 2008, theme park officials announced that they would spend EUR40 million during 2009–2012 on three large construction projects: a convention centre accommodating 1500 visitors (de Burcht), an arena from the Middle Ages for 750 show spectators (Raveleijn), and a redesign for snack bar "De Likkebaerd" to turn it into a station for the park's steam train. They also said they did not expect to suffer from the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

. In 2009, the Efteling announced that the Burcht has been cancelled. The park announced in 2015 that they had the ambition to welcome 7 million guests by 2030. For this they drew up a zoning plan in the period from 2015 to 2018 called 'Bestemmingsplan Wereld van de Efteling 2030'. The park will at first expand to the east as far as the road De Horst and the highway N261. After the eastern expansion, the park will expand in a western direction on the site where parking spaces are currently located. In 2018, the zoning plan was unanimously adopted within the municipality of Loon op Zand, after which three objections were submitted to the Raad van State. Two objections were investigated by the council and in the meantime the council decided that De Efteling was not allowed to start implementing the plan. With an adjustment on a number of points, the council approved the zoning plan in June 2021. Due to the outbreak of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

that led to the multiple closures of the park, the park had to review its investments. It decided to postpone the expansion towards the east side for a few years and to focus on expansions within the existing park boundaries. On January 24, 2022, the company announced that it would invest €75 million in the construction of a new hotel within the park on the square behind the entrance and in an attraction that will replace Spookslot.

Gallery

File:Efteling (NL)800px-Photo-0570.jpg, Efteling logo seen from Pagoda (Efteling) File:Efteling Spookslot hoofdshow.jpg, Haunted Castle (Efteling)(1978-2022) File:Efteling Pirana.jpg, The Piraña (Efteling), a river rafting ride in a pre-Columbian atmosphere File:Villa Volta, Efteling, 2017.jpg, '' Villa Volta'', the first modern Madhouse in the world File:Python DSCF5907.JPG, The Python (Efteling) File:Winterefteling - panoramio (4).jpg, Entrance to '' Raveleijn'', Park Show File:Sprookjesboom.jpg, Fairytale Tree, Fairytale Forest File:Troll king.jpg, Troll King, Fairytale Forest File:Winter Efteling The Six Swans.jpg, The Six Swans, Fairytale Forest

References

External links

* {{Authority control Efteling 1952 establishments in the Netherlands Amusement parks in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in North Brabant Tourist attractions in North Brabant Loon op Zand Amusement parks opened in 1952 20th-century architecture in the Netherlands