REPORTAGE
Thrills and space travel are new possibilities in Vienna. After three months of closure due to the coronavirus, Futuroscope in Poitiers reopened on Saturday. A gradual recovery, only on weekends, with reservations by reservation, before a daily opening from June 27. Europe 1 attended.
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Highly recommended masks
Visitors returning to the park can discover new attractions, starting with Objectif Mars. The first roller coasters of Futuroscope offer an immersion in a space journey, in accordance with health regulations. First impression at the exit: "Too good, we went down suddenly. It does not care!", Enthuses Chloé. Mask on the nose she monitors with her parents the next queue. Protection is not compulsory everywhere, but it is strongly recommended.
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Another novelty: an attraction on a smartphone, to avoid crowding, which delights visitors like Maeva, a regular at the park. "Usually we can wait three hours in a queue there we don't wait, that's good. Really we can enjoy without being afraid of getting the disease, it's really not bad."
600,000 fewer visitors due to confinement
The sanitary measures are there: floor markings, 250 gel dispensers and masked employees to guide visitors. They disinfect the attractions after each visit, recalls Rodolphe Bouin, the site director. "It is necessary to fulfill the sanitary requirement without degrading the experience with cleanings which are obviously more and more intensive, that's what is at stake. The French want to share emotions and we are a place for it."
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Saturday the park welcomed 3,500 visitors, against the 5,000 authorized. Normally there are around 8,000 a day at this time of year. Site management now hopes to bounce back this summer after losing 600,000 customers due to the containment.