December 10, 2020 – Despite this year's slowdown in business caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Croatian Aquapark Istralandia can be proud. Park World Magazine has named it the fourth-best water park in the world!

As Turističke priče reports, the Istrian water park was named the fourth-best outdoor aquapark of summer character in the world. At the same time, the Istralandia's Space Combo slide was voted the third-best water slide in the world.

Second award this year

Although this year, the Istralandia Aquapark's work has been slowed down and marked by the application of strict epidemiological measures for visitors, this is already their 22nd recognition and award. Earlier this year, Aquapark Istralandia was named the fifth-best aquapark in the world and the third-best aquapark in Europe by the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2020.

The winners of the 2020 Park World Excellence Awards established by the Park World Magazine, the world's amusement park news agency, were announced during an online ceremony on Tuesday, December 8, 2020.

The first category took into account the experience of riding in an indoor or outdoor attraction such as a water slide, the excellence of attractions such as a wave pool and surf simulator, or the experience provided by a water park as innovation and uniqueness of an individual attraction or slide. The German attraction Vinterhal Rulantica Rust was declared the winner, and Istrialandia's Space Combo slide was declared the third-best slide in the world.

Space Combo slide / Photo: Aquapark Istralandia

Along with Istralandia's Space Combo slide, the nominates were: Banzai, Twister, Thunder & Anakonda (Aquapark Fala, Lodz, Poland), FlowRider Double (Surf House Helsinki, Finland), High Five (Aqualand Moravia, Pasohlavky, Czech Republic), Rangnakor (Rulantica, Germany), Splash Course (Palomaqua, Antalya, Turkey), and the Vinterhal (Rulantica, Rust, Germany).

In the category of summer outdoor and indoor aquaparks that stood out because they did something exceptional in the past year that exceeds the usual standards, as many as seven world water parks were nominated, including Aquapark Istralandia, the only Croatian nominated aquapark. The winner in this category was the German aquapark Rulantica as the best indoor water park in 2020, while the Aquapark Istralandia was named the fourth-best summer outdoor aquapark in the world.

Croatian's Istralandia competed with Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark (Dubai, UAE), Suntago Water Park (Wrecza, Poland), Rulantica (Rust, Germany), Sandcastle Waterpark (Blackpool, Lancashire, UK), Siam Park (Tenerife, Spain), and Yas Waterworld (Abu Dhabi, UAE).

"We would like to thank all the employees and partners of Aquapark Istralandia who, with their selfless efforts and cooperation, made it possible to receive this world award. The obligation is all the greater that in the next season, the Istralandia Team will maintain high standards of excellence and innovation that have distinguished us all in these past business seasons," they pointed out in Istralandia on the occasion of receiving these awards.

All the 2020 Park World Excellence winners are listed here. Next year, the Awards are planned to take place in Barcelona.

New attractions planned

Aquapark Istralandia, opened in 2014 in Brtonigla near Novigrad, Istria, covers 81,000 square meters. According to Tportal, in the next few years, it should be expanded to another three hectares. It will include new catering facilities with food and drinks, a large relaxation pool overlooking other pools, an adventure pool for children, and a "river" to ride a boat.

Also, the expansion of the shopping center is planned, as well as the construction of a 65-meter-high belvedere. This "lighthouse of Istria "should have several floors with shops and restaurants and a congress part where various events could be held. Unline the park, the belvedere would work all year round, thus enriching the nearby tourist offer and, more importantly, extending the tourist season, which is now very short.

According to their success so far, the new investments could push Istralandia to even higher places of the world's best aquaparks.