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Ankapark


JoshC.

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Apologises for creating a thread about a ridiculously obscure park that next-to-no-one on here will likely visit any time soon, but I think it's worthy of its own thread..

 

So, Ankapark is a new park being built in Turkey, due to open in August 2016.  And amazingly, they're planning on opening not 1, not 2, not 3, ... , but FIFTEEN roller coasters.  Insane really.  A full list of the coasters confirmed so far is on RCDB:  http://rcdb.com/12017.htm

 

Most interesting ones are naturally the Intamin 10-inverting (new style layout and presumably trains, like Altair) and an unknown Intamin family launch coaster (possibly like Juvulen).  Unfortunately the rest of the coasters are pretty much cheap, off-the-shelf coasters, and even a couple of random Chinese manufacturers.  So, for the most part, the park have gone for quantity over quality, but I guess it's an exciting development for Turkey.  But then again, with 2 coasters completely unknown, there might still be a surprise in store..

 

Anyways, a few of the coasters have already been built.  Here's a photo of the 10-looper:

 

ankapark.png

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  • 4 weeks later...

I assume this park is still building 200 coasters?

 

RCDB is still listing 15, but then again, that's still saying the 10-looper is opening August next year...

 

Haven't heard anything to suggest they're not going ahead with building an obscene amount of junk coasters, with the odd good coaster sprinkled in though.  The Intamin family launch coaster is rumoured to have the same layout as Jet Rescue at Sea World Australia.  

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  • 3 years later...

So this park has had a fun history. Long story short, it never officially opened and has basically had little-to-no support from local governing bodies and has been claimed to basically be a money laundering scam effectively.

 

The park recently changed its name from Ankapark to Wonderland Eurasia, and seemingly opened this past week. The park have a rather bold claim on social media..

 

Supposedly, they have had 1.5 MILLION visitors in 3 days.

 

To put that into perspective:

-That would make it the 20th most visited theme park in the whole of Europe, Middle East and Africa

-At an average of 500k a day, that's ten times Europa Park's maximum daily capacity

-That's more than the number of people who use Heathrow in a week

-Almost 30% of the population of Ankara

-Continuing at that rate, they'll have the highest theme park attendance in one year after just 7 weeks 

 

Somehow, I don't think they're telling the truth...

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I did some digging on YouTube last night seeing this news, it looks a peculiar park, with loads of massive indoor areas (sensible in middle of Turkey) and some actual decent themeing? Though that'll likely be destroyed by end of year...

 

Out of the vids only seen the SkyLoop and Intamin 10 looper though... Maybe the 999 other coasters don't exist..m

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  • 7 months later...

So, a little while back, staff at the park went on a week-long strike, claiming that hadn't been paid in 4 months..

 

https://www.birgun.net/haber/ankapark-ta-oyuncaklari-korumalar-calistiriyor-273360

 

Some alarm bells from the article...

 

Quote

It was suggested that some of the employees who were taken in to run the toys (rides) were selected from the waitresses at the facility.

Quote

Ankapark employee Alican Kaya, said that the toys (rides) have not been maintained for five days, 

Police were called during the strike to make sure nothing bad happened.

 

It's not clear what's happened as a result, but the park appears to be back open now. But these claims won't do anything to silence rumours of this park effectively being a huge money laundering scheme...

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  • 3 months later...

There's 3 certainties in the theme park world:

-Merlin will invest in IP attractions

-Energylandia will build a crazy amount of roller coasters ridiculously quickly

-Wonderland Eurasia was never going to work

 

Less than 11 months since its official opening, Wonderland Eurasia / Ankapark has closed, because it cannot afford to pay its staff: https://www.news1.news/2020/02/750-million-dollars-spent-ankapark-closed-2.html

 

Some of the rides built never actually opened. There were rumours this was some form of money laundering scheme. It seemed like a disaster from day 0. And it was.

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