EVOLUTION OF CWOAR
Brief history of CWoAR
CWoAR has evolved from its beginnings as a public zoo in the early 1930s to one of the Country’s leading family visitor attractions; an integral component of the tourism offer in the Kingston area, London and the wider south-east of England.
Its success has been due to significant investment over the years directed towards enhancing and improving its attractions and evolving from a day visitor attraction to a short-break destination, to ensure it continues to attract visitors and remains competitive. This evolution is summarised below.
2007
Site acquired by Merlin
Safari Hotel opens
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2023
World of Jumanji
2021
Croc Drop opens – a 25m drop tower ride – replacing Rameses Revenge in Forbidden Kingdom
2018
Land of the Tiger opens, retheming Mystic East
2016
Go Ape high ropes opens on the south west part of the Resort
2014
Azteca Hotel opens
2013
ZUFARI: Ride into Africa! opens on the west part of the Resort
2010
KOBRA ride opens as part of Wild Asia
Competition and Covid
The leisure sector is one where there is a significant degree of innovation and change including new businesses entering the market and existing ones adapting and developing their offer to attract visitors. It is a sector where there is competition and those considering a leisure activity or experience have plenty of choice.
The extensive development history of CWoAR has shown that periods of investment inactivity often result in difficult trading periods, with visitors choosing other alternative attractions and leisure opportunities. This is because visitors’ demands and expectations of leisure and tourism attractions are constantly evolving and growing. Investment is important even to maintain numbers, let alone increase visitors, and without investment visitor numbers will decline. The importance of investment and its influence on visitor numbers is shown below:
THEME PARK ADMISSIONS TIMELINE
Click on the above image to zoom in
The leisure and tourism industry has also been one of the hardest hit sectors by COVID-19. CWoAR had to close completely for parts of 2020 and 2021 and operate at reduced capacity for other parts of those years when it was able to open. The impact on CWoAR’s trading has been significant. CWoAR’s response is to invest, improve the Resort and maintain its attractiveness to guests.
New Investment
In past years there has also been a real focus on improving the accommodation and getting the site operating as a Resort. The key focus now is to introduce new quality rides and attractions. It will be ‘kickstarted’ by the opening of the new themed land “World of Jumanji” in 2023.
1931
Zoo opened to public
Later sold to the Pearsons Group with significant investment needed
1978
Pearsons purchased by Madame Tussauds who becomes responsible for the Zoo
1981
Tussauds work with the Council to prepare a Development Brief for future planned investment at
the site
1984
Planning Brief adopted by the Council
1987
Chessington opened as a Theme Park and Zoo
