Lottemaa Theme Park Tickets Go on Sale, Face Criticism Over Price
The Lottemaa Theme Park, based on the popular series of cartoons by Andrus Kivirähk, Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma, will open in July in Pärnu County in southwestern Estonia, but has already caused grumbling with hefty ticket prices.
The project was greenlighted late last year and is built around the successful Lotte cartoons, loved by Estonian children and also gaining popularity abroad. Tickets went on sale this weekend and orders have come in from as far as France, Germany and even Australia.
However, the admission fee has drawn criticism, the daily Eesti Päevaleht reported today. Children over three must pay 15 euros and adults have to fork out even 18 euros, which, barring the introduction of a special family price, means that a family of four will have to part with 66 euros for the theme park alone. The head of marketing of Lottemaa Jorgen Sumin said the price includes all rides and activities at the park without having to pay extra.
According to Postimees, the price, while pricey for Estonian salaries, is not above the usual range of other European theme parks. Moomin World in Finland charges 26 euros, Legoland in Denmark charges 35 euros from adults (32 for children under aged 3-12) and the admission for the Europa Park in Germany costs 41 euros.
The cartoon tells the story of Lotte the talking puppy girl and her playmate, a cat named Bruno. The two protagonists live in a town of inventors, where Lotte’s father is the greatest inventor of all.
The site of the park is in Reiu village, on 12.4 hectares of a former Soviet missile base, which the Ministry of Defense is leasing to Enterprise Estonia. The park has nearly 100 rides and attractions, including the inventions of Lotte’s father Oskar, according to promotional materials.