08 Nov 2019
Puy du Fou signals further international expansion with China contract
BY Andy Knaggs
French historical theme park Puy du Fou is continuing its international expansion, with the imminent signing of a contract to build a new attraction in China.
The contract is expected to be signed during French president Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the country from 4 to 6 November. Puy du Fou president Nicolas de Villiers has accompanied Macron on the trip.
The €230m (US$256m, £198m) project would see the creation, in its first phase, of a night show, themed hotel, period village and restaurant at Qinhuangdao, facing the Great Wall of China – a setting that will imbue the location with "poetry and mystery", according to Puy du Fou.
It said the night show would be along the lines of its Cinéscénie and El Sueño de Toledo shows in France and Spain respectively. A team of 35 people are already in Hangzhou, working to develop the artistic model for the show, drawing on Chinese culture as inspiration, and Puy du Fou says it will expand this team to 200 upon signing the contract.
The company is aiming for a 2022 opening of the show, and said that by 2030 it hopes to have a fourth location in the world. The Spanish expansion opened in August this year in Toledo, quickly requiring additional sessions to meet demand, even before its full opening in 2021, when it will feature three vintage villages and four large day shows across a 30-hectare setting.
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