Gardaland Resort has broken records this season with more international visitors than it has ever received before.
The Italian theme park and resort, part of the Merlin Entertainment groups behind Alton Towers and Warwick Castle, welcomed 17% more visitors than last year and had an 85% occupancy rate across its two hotels.
Aldo Maria Vigevani, chief executive of Gardaland, said 42% of total visitors were from international source markets. The majority were from the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, while more visitors also arrived on flights from Tel Aviv, Israel, thanks to flight links.
Gardaland signed a deal with Jet2holidays in 2017, with this year its first full season selling packages through the operator. It is served with eight Jet2 flights per week from UK airports into nearby Italian airports, capacity for which will rise 22% for 2019 with larger aircraft to be used. It also sells via Attraction World and Hotelbeds.
Research showed that the largest segment of visitors was families of four from Rome, Milan, Turin, Bari and Venice. Italian guests stay for an average of two nights, while international guests typically stay for a week.
In response to growing demand, construction is currently underway of a new 128-room Gardaland Magic Hotel, following a €20 million investment. This will be the third on-site hotel, with rooms designed in one of three themes, Foresta Incantata (Enchanted Forest), Cristallo Magico (Magic Crystal) and Grande Mago (Great Wizard).