AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – WhiteWater, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of aquatic attractions, kicked off IAAPA Expo Europe 2024 by showcasing its latest product innovations and award-winning projects at its booth Tuesday afternoon to a crowd of industry media and peers.

Cultivating Diversity in Leadership
The press conference started with an announcement of the continuation of WhiteWater’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility) scholarship for 2024 in collaboration with the IAAPA Foundation. This scholarship, launched last year, aims to support individuals from underrepresented backgrounds by providing financial assistance and educational access, effectively bridging the opportunity gap. The scholarship funds attendance at the IAAPA Institute, a week-long program tailored for senior leaders in the global attractions industry. This initiative not only nurtures hidden talent but also empowers future leaders by reducing financial constraints and systemic barriers.

Making Waves in Cruise
WhiteWater remains at the forefront of cruise industry innovation, unveiling several new projects. These include an Adventure Trail for the 2025 MSC World America ship and its 24^th collaboration with Royal Caribbean Cruises, featuring a FlowRider® Double on the Star of the Seas, also launching in 2025.

Expanding into the Saudi Arabian cruise market, WhiteWater has partnered with AROYA Cruises to bring the first AquaForms 5 play structure to a cruise ship, along with a splash pad featuring Life Floor and AquaSplash spray toys on the Aroya Manara. This addition is designed to elevate the onboard experience, particularly for families and young guests.

Hotels and Resorts Thrive with Water
WhiteWater also highlighted its latest resort projects on the heels of its 2024 report with Hotel & Leisure Advisors that underscored the long-term financial benefits of aquatic amenities. In Croatia, Amadria Park expanded with new attractions, including the Whizzard and Constrictor + Rattler Fusion water slides, with additional indoor amenities set to open by year-end. Other significant developments include the Regnum Carya water park in Turkey, scheduled for a Spring 2025 opening, and the Grand Hyatt Dubai resort water park’s Q2 2025 opening featuring 15 new attractions across 20,000 square meters, aimed at boosting guest engagement and occupancy.

The Global Surf Movement Continues
With over 25 million surfers in the world and counting, the sport continues to grow and be integrated into various venue types. Within the resort space, Grand Hyatt Dubai is set to introduce the first FlowRider® Triple in the Middle East, featuring a 12-meter (40 feet) surface that accommodates up to three riders simultaneously, with a capacity of 360 to 720 rides per hour. In the standalone venue space, FlowRider Inc. announced an exclusive licensing agreement with SEVEN to bring the Flow House brand to Saudi Arabia, combining food, beverage, and surfing entertainment. Three Flow House venues are currently under construction across the Kingdom: in Riyadh, Al Khobar, and Jeddah.

In Germany, the first inland surf park, O2 SURFTOWN MUC, celebrated its grand opening in August of 2024 with over 14,000 guests in attendance. This groundbreaking venue is also the world’s first to feature Endless Surf technology, incorporating a 34-caisson lagoon, which delivers customizable waves using advanced pneumatic hardware and proprietary software.  

Paul Chutter, President of Endless Surf, highlighted the importance of this milestone, stating, “This moment is a testament to the dedication of the teams involved and a significant achievement for inland surf, providing operators unparalleled flexibility and control of wave types with our technology. After years of hard work and innovation, we’re thrilled to see world-class waves in Munich for all to enjoy.”

Building Record-Breaking Attractions

Europe
In 2024, WhiteWater made waves across Europe’s water park sector with notable additions to Fårup Sommerland in Denmark and Aquascope in France. At Fårup Sommerland, the company celebrated a milestone by installing Denmark’s tallest water slides, including a Tailspin + Boomerango Fusion and Parallel Pursuit. This marks the continuation of a successful 14-year partnership with the park. New for younger guests, the park introduced Mini Boomerango, alongside several other kid-friendly attractions to ensure a seamless experience for all ages. Over in France, Aquascope welcomed three new kids’ water slides and an engaging splash pad featuring AquaSplash and AquaSpray toys, adding to the park’s appeal for families and young visitors.

Middle East
WhiteWater also announced its collaboration with Aquarabia Qiddiya City, bringing to life 22 exhilarating rides and attractions, including five record-breaking rides. One of the flagship attractions at the water theme park is FusionFortress 18, known for its ground-level interactives where children with limited mobility can explore and engage with the toys while spraying their siblings with jets, turning wheels to set off various reactions on the structure, and most importantly, sharing the fun with their family and friends. The first play structure of this scale in the world, FusionFortress 18 boasts a staggering 181 interactive play features, 11 diverse water slides, two tipping buckets, and a water geyser spraying nearly 30 meters (100 feet) into the air. Located in Qiddiya City, Aquarabia will be one of the project’s many attractions where visitors can enjoy unforgettable entertainment offerings, based on the foundation of play.

The press conference also featured the latest edition of Falcon’s Play Creators video series. Building anticipation for the opening of Aquarabia, the video offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this unique water theme park, with interviews with Mike Rigby, GM & Regional Vice President of the Middle East & India, and Kenneth Campbell, Senior Installation Advisor & Team Development Specialist. Featuring construction footage of the development, the video highlighted the scale of this ambitious project and the team’s dedication to bringing extraordinary experiences to life.

Looking Ahead
WhiteWater’s forward momentum into 2025 was buoyed by the news of successfully defending its new product track record in the Canadian intellectual property suit brought by ProSlide Technology. The ruling by the Honourable Justice Michael Manson, one of Canada’s foremost intellectual property judges, proved there was no infringement by WhiteWater and that ProSlide’s patents were deemed invalid.

“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do,” said Rainer Maelzer, President of WhiteWater ERA GmbH. “As we continue to grow globally, we are committed to working closely with our clients to create unique, immersive experiences that drive guest satisfaction and operational success.”

Rainer and the WhiteWater team continue their focus collaborating closely with clients, ensuring that their vision is realized while meeting the evolving needs of their guests.  As WhiteWater’s latest brand campaign, launched at IAAPA Expo Europe, highlights “together the future of attractions is ours to create.”

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