Joey said:
I'm worried that the Walibi branding is fading out, already. The world of Walibi website is gone.
I think removing hello world is to try and cut back on the obviously cheesy made up band thing. Which is a shame, because there was an example that worked really well.
It didn't take off in Holland as well as Belgium in the first place, likely due to the more adult nature of that park overall.
I think they're worried the Walibi rebrand was the wrong direction now. Which is a shame because its unique and wonderful.
I think international chains should focus much more on trying to fit the style of the park with the culture of the country. Too often chains just ignorantly assume that if it works in one country, it will work in other countries as well. Just look at Six Flags trying to get into the European theme park industry. They failed completely, because the majority of people here and in Belgium aren't waiting for the American-style parks. In Belgium Walibi works well because it suits their culture, they appreciate the cheesiness and bright colours and characters much more than here in the Netherlands. The reason why Efteling is so incredibly successful in the Netherlands is because it 100% fits in with the Dutch culture. People feel much more at home, and appreciate the atmosphere and style much more, because that atmosphere is very Dutch. The reason why Toverland is doing so well is because they are looking at Efteling, and look at the reasons why that park succeeds here so well. Then they try to apply their own style combined with a bit of the Efteling-ish style. It works.
It's just like how Vliegende Hollander was such a massive success when it comes to attendence. If Merlin ever got in here and built the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in the Netherlands, I highly doubt it would be half as succesful as VH. People want magical, heavily themed stuff here, not record breakers, in contrast with the British culture. Note how Baron is mainly advertised by the theming, story and art direction. I've yet to hear/see Efteling mention that it's the tallest and fastest coaster in Efteling. This is also the reason why I believe Efteling would/will never be succesful in the UK.
I see it like this. Every country has its own culture, and for a park to be succesful, it should adapt to this culture. Walibi Holland will never be successful here because it doesn't fit in the Netherlands, no matter how many rides they will add. Almost everybody I've spoken to despises the Walibi brand in the park, and disliked the Speed of Sound music. Duinrell also tries to be a bit like the Efteling (fairytale parts, more similarities) and is the second most visited park in the country. Slagharen is a dump and lied about their attendence figures, so they don't count.
Tl;dr: Culture is one of the main reasons why some parks are succesful and others aren't imo.
Just my thoughts about the situation.