The Parc du Petit Prince, located right next to the Ecomusée d’Alsace, opened its doors in 2014. Entirely themed after Saint-Exupéry’s well-known book, it is set to take on a new dimension in the coming season.
Since opening in July 2014, Parc du Petit Prince has grown from 90,000 to 150,000 annual visitors. Without boasting too much, the figures are good, demonstrating a real interest on the part of the general public in the park, its activities and its tethered balloons which take visitors 150 metres above ground. Over the 2016 season, the park recorded a 30% increase in local visitors, the Haut-Rhinois. Its Halloween day was also a hit, with over 4,000 visitors to the site.
Don’t call it a “slow park” anymore
Often referred to as a “slow park”, due to its lack of thrill rides and its cultural focus on travel and literature (Saint-Exupéry obliges), the Little Prince Park needs to move forward and win over more and more visitors. To do this, there are no fifty solutions. The general public wants “attractions”, so we have to give them some.
The Parc du Petit Prince offers two new thrill rides: the Splash, where seaplanes have to land on the water (an aquatic attraction of the “log” type), and the Serpent, a 200-metre-long roller coaster with steep descents and tight turns. Two great theme park classics. These will also be accessible to children, from one metre upwards, so you can enjoy these experiences as a family. These coasters are not aimed at extreme thrill-seekers, of course.
“We need to stay close to the Little Prince theme, but at the same time, we need to increase the offer with these thrill rides: that’s what our visitors are asking for,” explains Jérôme Giacomoni, co-founder of Parc du Petit Prince. 4 million euros were invested in these two rides and the renovation of the existing 4D attraction.
