Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Previously known as Chessington Zoo, Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo
LocationLeatherhead Road, Chessington KT9 2NE, Greater London, England
Coordinates51°20′55″N 0°19′00″W / 51.34861°N 0.31667°W / 51.34861; -0.31667
StatusOperating
Opened
  • 1931 (1931) (Zoo)
  • 7 July 1987 (1987-07-07) (Theme park)
OwnerMerlin Entertainments
General managerHoward Ebison (Divisional Director)
SloganWe've got it!
Operating seasonTheme Park:
March–November
Zoo:
Year-round
Safari Hotel
Year-round
Aztec Hotel
Year-round
Explorer Glamping
April – October
Sealife Centre
Year-round
Go Ape
Year-round
Attendance2022: 1,500,000 (Increase3%)
Area128 acres (0.52 km2; 52 ha)
Attractions
Total34
Roller coasters5
Water rides3
Websitewww.chessington.com

Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a 128 acres (52 hectares) theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK.[1] The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments,[2] following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007.[3] Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a campground, spa and fitness facilities.

The Chessington Zoo has over 1,000 animals, including western lowland gorillas, sea lions, and Sumatran tigers. It is split up into several areas; Trail of the Kings, Sea Lion Bay, Children's Zoo, Amazu, Penguin Bay, a Sea Life Centre and Wanyama Village and Reserve.

Chessington World of Adventures was ranked in 2022 as the twentieth most-visited park in the UK, with an attendance of roughly 1.5 million guests, behind Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor.[4] In 2020, due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the park experienced an unexpectedly short operating season and temporary closed its gates. Despite a significant drop in attendance during the pandemic, Chessington actually ranked as the third most-visited park in the UK for 2020 with .51 million visitors, behind Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.[5]

Chessington World of Adventures is separated into different themed areas, loosely inspired by a range of world cultures. ‘Adventure Point’ is a colonial English "market square",'‘Mexicana' borrows from the Wild West and Latin America, 'Shipwreck Coast' is a nautical harbour town, 'Wild Woods' is a Central European-styled area with Bavarian architecture, 'Forbidden Kingdom' mirrors the ancient Middle East, 'Land of the Tiger' reflects the Far East, and 'Wild Asia' is based on an Indian jungle.[6] Major attractions include: Vampire, Dragon's Fury, KOBRA, Tiger Rock, Scorpion Express, The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, Mandrill Mayhem, and Croc Drop.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference tourismcrouch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Merlin conjures up leaseback deal". 17 July 2007 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Chessington: FAQs: Contact information: Merlin Entertainments". Chessington World of Adventures Resort. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Top 20 most visited theme parks in Europe in 2022 | News | ThemeParks-EU.com". www.themeparks-eu.com. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Amusement and theme park attendance in UK 2020". Statista. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Wild Asia at Chessington". parkworld-online.com. 2 February 2010.