22.09.2004

Award of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) goes to a family business for the first time: Innovation Award 2004 for Europa-Park

 

Rust/Berlin. Roland Mack, managing director of Europa-Park in Rust near Freiburg, was honoured with the Innovation Award 2004 of the German tourism industry on September 20th 2004 in Berlin. After the award has already been given to TUI-director Dr. Michael Frenzel, Paul M. McManus of Leading Hotels of the World, Airbus Industries and the Deutsche Bahn AG, the managing chairmanship of the BTW has now awarded this prize to a family business for the first time. The laudation was held by the retired Federal Minister Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble MdB. The prize has been awarded for the first time during the 8th Tourism Summit in Berlin.

Wolfgang Schäuble praised Roland Macks entrepreneurial commitment. "In difficult economic times Europa-Park is an outstanding example for the active struggle against resignation?. The Federal Minister felicitated Roland Mack and his family for their success and for the award and congratulated the German tourism industry on such a representative of tourism. "Europa-Park is not an anonymous leisure factory, but a real family business?, emphasized Wolfgang Schäuble.

The largest seasonal leisure park worldwide is an example of innovation, explains Klaus Laepple, chairman of the BTW, the unanimous decision of the jury. Europa-Park dates from 1780, when the Mack family went into business with the manufacture of stagecoaches. With more than 3,6 million visitors in 2003, Europa-Park today is not only the market leader in Germany, but also the most popular tourist destination after the Dome of Cologne.

With approximately 3.000 employees, the company in Rust/Baden is the most important employer in the region. Recently, Europa-Park achieved by far the best results in a in a test conducted on behalf of the German magazine "stern? in order to analyse the quality of German leisure parks.

The Mack family has realized the importance of accommodation facilities at Europa-Park at an early stage, says the chairman of the BTW. Since the opening of the Roman-Italian 4-star superior hotel "Colosseo? in June 2004, the Europa-Park Hotel Resort with more than 2700 beds is Germany's biggest hotel resort. The cooperation with tour operators is exemplary. Each year, approximately 800 events take place at Europa-Park and as a popular location for many TV productions it is an outstanding role model for the German tourism industry.