First Step towards "Mobiloscope" Theme Park

Papenburg, 29.04.2002 - The number of tourists visiting the MEYER WERFT shipyard has been on a permanent rise. While completing their new productions halls, the shipyard has extended their Visitors' Centre for this reason, and now also offers a view into the large, new-built second building dock hall. Information on state-of-the-art shipbuilding and on cruising in general are presented as well. The Visitors' Centre does not only feature a mock-up cabin of the cruise liner "Norwegian Star," and various interesting films, but it also gives the vistors some insight into the shipyard's steel construction and the speical conditions for the transit of the vessels down the river Ems. In the previous two years, almost 200,000 visitors each toured the shipyard under the guidance of the Papenburg Tourist Association. In the same period more than 30,000 requests for a visit per year had to be declined due to insufficient capacities. More than 150,000 visit registrations for the year 2002 have been made so far; the limit of 250,000 visitors is likely to be exceeded this year. MEYER WERFT has decided to extend their Visitors' Centre, and to make it more professional, because it may be increased to become a module of the "Mobiloscope" Theme Park planned by the Papenburg Town Council. Moreover, the flood of visitors needs to be taken care of appropriately. Visits to the shipyard will continue to be organised by the Papenburg Tourist Association, as well as the relevant marketing activities, in close cooperation with MEYER WERFT. At present some 60 tour guides are committed to make a visit to the MEYER WERFT shipyard a pleasant and informative event. Both the Town of Papenburg and the regional area benefit highly from the many visitors to the yard. Ever since the number of visitors has started growing bly, hotels, restaurants and shops in Papenburg have developed positively. Most visitors are from North Rhine-Westphalia and the Hanover/Kassel area, but also from all parts of Germany and the neighbouring foreign countries. The layout of the Visitors' Centre is such that it can be extended indivdually, or as a module for the planned "Mobiloscope" Theme Park which forms part of Papenburg's tourism concept.