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Steffen Kottkamp, director at MackCreative, MackMedia
Europa Park revitalised its oldest rollercoaster in September when it added a world-first to the ride experience – virtuality reality.
Up to 2,000 visitors per day can take the Alpenexpress VR-Ride, donning the wireless Samsung Gear headsets and launching into an immersive journey combining virtual reality with the real world experience of riding a rollercoaster.
Park mascot Ed Euromaus guides the VR adventure, featuring a ride on a mine cart and a lift on the wings of a dragon. Using precise synchronisation, the 3D animated world – produced by MackMedia, Europa Park’s in-house design and ideas engine – perfectly complements the coaster track.
Steffen Kottkamp, director of MackCreative (like MackMedia, a division of Mack Rides), says the technology can be applied to an old ride to reinvent it for a new audience, but that it has more significant applications.
“You have to imagine it as defining an area and in this area you can manipulate movement to appear how you want it to,” Kottkamp says. “We take the existing ride, unfold it and then put it back together again as a new ride, using every curve, ascent and descent of the track to add to the virtual experience. It’s a bit like driving or flying through a game, but here you feel the real movement. This is an immersive experience like you’ve never had before.”
The project was a collaboration between VR Coaster, Mack Rides, MackMedia and Samsung, and was developed with Thomas Wagner, professor in the department of Virtual Design at the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern in Germany.
“It’s cheaper than building an entirely new coaster, but that’s not the aim of the technology,” says Kottkamp. “It can give an existing coaster a new lease of life, as we did with Alpenexpress. This is a first step, but there will be a lot of companies that decide to build a new coaster and integrate the technology from day one.”
Kottkamp says he thinks the solution will be somewhere in between.
“We didn’t invent the technology in order to give old coasters a new-world sensation,” he says. “We invented the technology to create a much higher level of experience, where we can create a ride bespoke for virtual reality.”
The revolutionary technology is being distributed by Mack Rides to the wider theme park market, and Kottkamp says there’s interest from multiple parties.
“We’re making a business model out of it – one that also takes care of the operational side, such as ride capacity, hardware hygiene and ticketing solutions.”
So does Kottkamp believe the rollercoaster, as we know it, is dead?
“The future of the rollercoaster lies in a combination of real physical forces and appropriate thematic content. Using VR, we can create a much more elaborate and interactive themed world,” he says.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Attractions: Gone, Not Forgotten
We find out what people thought of
Dismaland, Banksy’s twisted theme park
and contemporary art attraction – and
talk to one of the Dismal Stewards
Promotional feature: IdeAttack
Mysteries of China’s rich culture are at the heart of IDEATTACK’s new mixed-used tourism destination
Zoos & Aquariums: Turn over a New Reef
The Florida Aquarium is teaming
up with the National Aquarium of
Cuba in a bid to save and restore
the region’s precious coral reefs
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
Steffen Kottkamp, director at MackCreative, MackMedia
Europa Park revitalised its oldest rollercoaster in September when it added a world-first to the ride experience – virtuality reality.
Up to 2,000 visitors per day can take the Alpenexpress VR-Ride, donning the wireless Samsung Gear headsets and launching into an immersive journey combining virtual reality with the real world experience of riding a rollercoaster.
Park mascot Ed Euromaus guides the VR adventure, featuring a ride on a mine cart and a lift on the wings of a dragon. Using precise synchronisation, the 3D animated world – produced by MackMedia, Europa Park’s in-house design and ideas engine – perfectly complements the coaster track.
Steffen Kottkamp, director of MackCreative (like MackMedia, a division of Mack Rides), says the technology can be applied to an old ride to reinvent it for a new audience, but that it has more significant applications.
“You have to imagine it as defining an area and in this area you can manipulate movement to appear how you want it to,” Kottkamp says. “We take the existing ride, unfold it and then put it back together again as a new ride, using every curve, ascent and descent of the track to add to the virtual experience. It’s a bit like driving or flying through a game, but here you feel the real movement. This is an immersive experience like you’ve never had before.”
The project was a collaboration between VR Coaster, Mack Rides, MackMedia and Samsung, and was developed with Thomas Wagner, professor in the department of Virtual Design at the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern in Germany.
“It’s cheaper than building an entirely new coaster, but that’s not the aim of the technology,” says Kottkamp. “It can give an existing coaster a new lease of life, as we did with Alpenexpress. This is a first step, but there will be a lot of companies that decide to build a new coaster and integrate the technology from day one.”
Kottkamp says he thinks the solution will be somewhere in between.
“We didn’t invent the technology in order to give old coasters a new-world sensation,” he says. “We invented the technology to create a much higher level of experience, where we can create a ride bespoke for virtual reality.”
The revolutionary technology is being distributed by Mack Rides to the wider theme park market, and Kottkamp says there’s interest from multiple parties.
“We’re making a business model out of it – one that also takes care of the operational side, such as ride capacity, hardware hygiene and ticketing solutions.”
So does Kottkamp believe the rollercoaster, as we know it, is dead?
“The future of the rollercoaster lies in a combination of real physical forces and appropriate thematic content. Using VR, we can create a much more elaborate and interactive themed world,” he says.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Attractions: Gone, Not Forgotten
We find out what people thought of
Dismaland, Banksy’s twisted theme park
and contemporary art attraction – and
talk to one of the Dismal Stewards
Promotional feature: IdeAttack
Mysteries of China’s rich culture are at the heart of IDEATTACK’s new mixed-used tourism destination
Zoos & Aquariums: Turn over a New Reef
The Florida Aquarium is teaming
up with the National Aquarium of
Cuba in a bid to save and restore
the region’s precious coral reefs
Global Wellness Day (GWD) will mark its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
