Renad Ghanem
Saudi Gazette
VIALAND Turkey’s Disneyland is one of the places that is aiming to change the understanding of Turkey. It allows visitors to experience Istanbul in a new and interesting way as it integrates a theme park, outdoor shopping mall and, this year, the Vialand Palace Hotel that opened on June 1.
Vialand’s aim is to attract more visitors this year especially during the Istanbul Shopping Festival (ISF) that is ongoing from June 7-29 with a variety of events that could be enjoyed by all — those who are interested in theme parks and those who want to enjoy shopping at the same site.
The $650 million investment — equivalent 100 football pitches — theme park includes about 30 entertainment units. An adrenaline-bumping rollercoaster — Nefeskesen — (LSM) Coaster, which is breathtaking and one of the most interesting ride at the theme park, reaches 100 kmph in three seconds. The TV news channel CNN has voted it as the fourth best rollercoaster in the world. The rollercoaster was cost $17 million to install.
The theme park also includes other entertaining elements like Drop Tower, Rafting Ride, Splash Coaster, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora and Diego.
As Vialand aims to combine both retail and entertainment in a first — the shopping mall of Vialand contains about 200 shops in an area of 100 football fields. It also aims to attract visitors to enjoy cinemas and bowling in its most-modern alley. The shopping mall also has the Vialand’s 3D live museum where an experience consisting of video, installation and 3D art, provides a unique experience. Visitors are allowed to take pictures all around the museum with the 3D pieces.
The newly-opened Vialand Palace Hotel hosts 101 rooms and it’s a part of the Vialand experience. Over 8.5 million visitors have arrived since Vialand opened its doors last year. An expansive Istanbul Shopping Festival (ISF) concluding ceremony on the night of June 28 has been set.
Istanbul is hosting the fourth edition of its shopping festival, and it is emerging as one of the most important festivals in Turkey. The festival has targeted more than 1.1 million tourists this year.
Istanbul, which receives visitors from all over the world, is trying to cash in on the people’s interest in shopping and the city’s culture. The ISF was so timed that visitors could partake in many events around the city of Istanbul before the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.
