2023-07-20 11:18:00
He was still resisting, and he was one of the few. But the animal park (and adventure park) Forestia, in Theux, now charges for parking vehicles. The price ? €4, applicable since July 15, 2023. A relatively reasonable sum. By way of comparison, Le Monde Sauvage charges €6 per car. Plopsa Coo climbs to €12.50. Further afield, Adventure Valley (Durbuy) charges €9 per car; Walibi asks for €12; Disneyland… €30! If free is always preferable, Forestia remains largely below the standards. In the “tourist parks”, only the Provincial Domain of Wégimont includes parking in the entrance, but the domain is managed (and financed), as written, by the Province.
Thus, Forestia has just announced this pricing, “following the decisions of the DNF and the Municipality of Theux to impose new facilities on our car park”. While specifying that subscribers (Forest’Pass), Wood customers and coaches will continue to benefit from free admission. “It’s in our DNA to be kind to our customers: we were the only ones not to charge – for 20 years – for parking, the only ones to offer table service in the restaurant, etc. “, explains Philippe Lafontaine, director of the Forestia park. But there comes a time when the charges are what they are, for all companies in the country. And we are forced to increase the pricing or adapt it. , it was a very difficult decision to make. But €4 was the minimum (especially since there is VAT). And we insist on this: it’s free with the pass. It costs two tickets, and you can come 365 days a year. People who have the pass come on average four times, so it’s more than worth it. It’s an opportunity.”
Major works are planned in the parking lot.
Philippe Lafontaine would have liked to keep free parking, even if “it pays everywhere, even to go and visit the hospital”. This “choice” was, as indicated, “imposed” by the Commune and the DNF. The Forestia car park is “partly on an agricultural area, partly on a forest area”. The DNF (Department of Nature and Forests) therefore has a right of inspection. Work is desired on the car park, which will also benefit… park customers. “We have to bring it into line with the wishes of the DNF and the Commune. This will require fairly significant work for this winter, or spring 2024… or winter 2024-2025. It will cost us a lot of money. Charging for parking is not to “make money”, it’s for this work and to support the costs (including the staff). What’s planned? We have to green it. We’re going to plant separation, creating shade in the middle of the car park… We are studying the question with landscapers. There is also a question of removing the tarmac on the first part in order to make it permeable. And to create clearer spaces. Finally, both that we are there in heavy work, we are thinking about enlarging the car park on the bottom, finishing what we started. So it is something that is imposed on us… But which seems fair and in good order to us”, concludes diplomatically Philippe Lafontaine.
Note, to make us smile, that a new module in the playground and new wolves (Mathilde and Philippe) have appeared in Forestia in recent weeks.
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