Russians visit Oakwood

A delegation from the Russian Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions travelled to Wales at the weekend to visit Oakwood Theme Park.

Around 17 members of the association visited the Pembrokeshire attraction as part of a fact-finding visit.

They met with members of the senior management team and were given a guided tour of the park; including an opportunity to try out all the rides and go behind the scenes.

Oakwood Theme Park’s Deputy General Manager, David Stock, said: “The delegation were in the UK to attend the Euro Attractions Show in London at Olympia and asked if they could come and visit us after the show had ended.

“We were delighted to host them and I believe it was a very useful meeting for both parties. They were keen to learn something of the history of the park, and were interested in the technical aspects of running Oakwood’s rides as well as the day to day business of operating a large theme park.

“From our point of view it was fascinating to meet the delegates and find out how they run and operate their visitor attractions in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

“Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and hopefully we have made some new friendships with our counterparts in Russia,” he added.

The visit was organised by the Association of Amusement and Leisure Equipment Suppliers of the United Kingdom.

Ms Diana Lukina, the International Manager for RAAPA who headed the Group, said: “We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Oakwood and learned many good ideas. We are very grateful to the management of the park for their kind hospitality and the time they gave to us.”

As well as visiting Oakwood, the association also visited a number of other UK attractions.

The Russian Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (RAAPA) was established in 1995. Today it represents the interests of more than 250 manufacturing companies, parks, FECs and other amusement industry enterprises in Russia, the CIS countries and other European countries.