French fun parks reopen, desperate to regain revenue lost to Covid-19

For many, the summer vacation spells travel, holidays by the sea, and also time to hit the amusement parks. Across France, major attractions are gradually reopening with new hygiene measures in place, hoping desperately to make up for the millions of revenue lost during the Covid-19 lockdown.

One of the first amusement parks to reopen in France after the Covid-19 lockdown was the Puy du Fou, near Poitiers, in central France on Thursday.

The park which specialises in historical re-enactments is the second most visited amusement park in France behind Disneyland, recording more than 2.3 million visitors in 2019.

Puy du Fou director Nicolas de Villiers said 400,000 euros had been invested to accommodate the new hygiene measures, but he indicated that the loss of revenue for the lockdown period amounted to several million euros.

Duelling with social distancing

The capacity of the arenas has been reduced due to social distancing measures and the restaurants will only cater for 50 percent capacity with a preference for takeaway service and visitors will need to wear masks for the indoor attractions.

"We have changed our routines to avoid any touching," chief choreographer Florent Monnereau told AFP, referring to the combat scenes of duelling knights.

He explained that the aluminium swords, usually 65 cm in length had been modified by the manufacturer to measure 80 cm, increasing the social distancing between actors.

Futuroscope

This weekend sees the reopening of Futuroscope, also near Poitiers, which will welcome visitors from Saturday 13 June.

Lots of work has been done to prepare the return of the public, director Rodolphe Bouin told AFP, such as markings on the ground and signs.

He says about 95 percent of their usual attractions will be available, except the presence of mascots, which would encourage too much proximity with young fans.

The concept of physical queues for the six largest attractions has disappeared, and in its place, a booking system whereby visitors receive a time slot on their mobile phone.

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"In the end, the crisis has forced us to reflect on how we do things, and we may well keep some of these new measures in place," Bouin said.

He is hoping that crowd numbers will go up in the next six months, as the French modify their vacation patterns and stay in France instead of travelling abroad.

"We're expecting more visitors towards the year end, compared to other years, but it won't be enough," he says.

Parc Asterix

Next in line, is Parc Astérix, to the east of Paris, set to reopen on 15 June.

Since it is located in a Covid-19 "orange zone" (Ile-de-France), park manager Guy Vassel says he expects the public will return progressively over the summer.

The holiday tourist season may help to soften the blow, but "we've already lost 30 percent of our revenue", Vassel says. 

Disneyland still in suspense

When it comes to Disneyland Paris, France's number one attraction, a date has not yet been fixed for the reopening.

Unions and directors are holding meetings this week to decide on the final measures which will affect staff and the public.

In any case, the measures will be similar to other parks concerning the wearing of masks, hand sanitiser dispensers, social distancing rules as well as the cancellation of outdoor shows and presence of mascots in the crowd.

Many parks are waiting for the announcement by President Emmanuel Macron in his televised address on Sunday, when he is expected to clarify phase three of lifting lockdown measures from 22 June.

France Miniature park says it will reopen from the 26 June, if the Ile-de-France region sees its orange rating turn to green.

Ski resorts open for summer

Elsewhere in France, the organisation in charge of managing ski resorts in the Alps and various leisure parks (La Compagnie des Alpes) has also signalled that ski stations and attractions will reopen progressively in the coming days and weeks.

One of them, the Walibi park in the Rhône-Alpes is expected to reopen on 20 June. Another, the Parc Spirou, one hour from Marseille, is also to reopen then, but only on weekends at this stage, with masks mandatory for indoor attractions.