The European certificate is becoming mandatory in inflatable aquaparks

AquaSuperPark in Žnjan will be the largest aquapark not only in Croatia but also in the wider region.

January 13, 2025

Aquaparks are today an indispensable segment in the development of tourist infrastructure, especially in destinations that target family tourism.

Such facilities not only increase the competitiveness and added value of the beach, but also contribute to increased income, longer retention of guests and better overall satisfaction. However, one of the most important challenges behind aquaparks, which is often overlooked, is the issue of safety. 

Safety in aquaparks does not only mean quality infrastructure and proper maintenance of the contents, but also compliance with strict European safety standards. Parents are increasingly valuing destinations that offer a safe environment for their children, which places a responsibility on aquaparks to be not only fun, but also completely reliable.

Precisely in terms of safety, the European Safety Certificate becomes an obligation for all aquaparks in the EU. The focus is on security as the most important segment, which unfortunately in practice until now had a large loophole in the law regarding certification.  

In a conversation with Ernest Kiseljak, the owner of the company AB original doo which is the official regional distributor for American AQUAGLIDE aquaparks inflatable since 2009, we talked about the new strict controls introduced by the EU from next year. Considering the changes and new rules of the European Union in 2025, the new regulation should bring an increase in safety to the aquapark market, which is the focus of everyone who buys or plans to invest in an inflatable aquapark - from destinations, campsites to hotel resorts. 

"Practice in Europe has shown that certain Chinese manufacturers manipulate the safety certificates that they can obtain in China. Namely, some brands certified one simple element from their range and then copied that certificate to the rest of the offer, i.e. to all elements of the aquapark. have noticed inspections and in recent years have been dealing with this at the EU level. Now all aquaparks that are sold and installed in the EU will have to have valid European quality certificates, namely the possession of European quality certificates valid proof that these are products that are made of materials that are not harmful to children's health and that they are constructed in a safe way." emphasizes Ernest Kiseljak.

When asked what the control will look like in practice, i.e. who will control the validity of the new TUV certificate, Kiseljak notes that this is a question for the Customs Administration, because they are the ones who implement such things.

"According to information from EU member states where the new rules have already been implemented, there are several levels of control. The first level is at import itself, where customs demand complete documentation, including TUV certificates, for every element that enters the EU.  The second level of control is after the aquaparks are placed on the water surface. In Greece, this part of the control was carried out already this summer by the Port Authority in cooperation with customs. Basically, the Port Authority regularly visited all locations under the concession and took pictures of all the elements and the numbers of the printed certificates, then they set a deadline of 48 hours for the owners to present the TUV certificate for each individual element. If the owner of the aquapark did not comply, he would receive a fine, an immediate work ban and a deadline for the immediate removal of such a structure from the sea. In the Netherlands, the owners of aquaparks state that this summer they checked the possession of TUV certificates. This is extremely important because without control it can happen that our children end up, not only in a structurally unsafe park, but also on elements that have been finished with chemically toxic or even carcinogenic materials or paints.", points out and adds that AQUAGLIDE is an American aquapark brand, which in the world of inflatable aquaparks is synonymous with quality, attractiveness, ease of use, safety and profitability.  

Safety is a top priority, so in addition to the certificates required in America or Australia, they also have a European TUV certificate for each of the 115 elements. Attractiveness is the next big advantage of AQUAGLIDE aquaparks.

"If your aquapark has real attractions such as a slide 5 or 6 meters high, even if that slide has irrigation, next to that slide put an 8-meter-high swing equipped with a circus trapeze, which child will resist it. Attractive aquaparks attract more users and enable charging a higher values ​​for the same unit of time. Forget the boring parks where the trampoline is the biggest attraction. An attractive aquapark will attract more visitors than an ordinary one aquapark. For the same reason, both children and parents will return to AQUAGLIDE. Our experience shows that our attractiveness provides on average 50% more income than classic ones." emphasizes Kiseljak. Ease of use is perhaps the most important advantage of AQUAGLIDE aquaparks. Our interlocutor answers that the ease of use is directly related to how much time the children will spend in the aquapark, but also to the safety of the aquapark itself.

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"Namely, if your aquapark has paths only 10 cm high that even the smallest child can climb at any place in the aquapark, parents will immediately perceive it as safer, children will get less tired and thus use the aquapark much longer. Most aquaparks have paths 30-40 cm high, which is difficult even for an adult to climb out of the water and can also pose a safety risk for children when they are exhausted, which is why aquaparks with these high paths require the constant presence of lifeguards, especially when it comes to parks with a capacity of more than 40 users. If we take into account that in your aquapark with paths 10 cm high, children will take an average of 60 minutes, while in a park with high paths they will take 30 minutes, the math is simple. Consider that a ticket for 1 hour of use costs 30% more than that for 30 minutes. Safety is the absolute most important factor in all aquaparks accessibility in climbing at any place in the aquapark is viewed through this prism, then AQUAGLIDE is the safest brand considering that it offers a patent-protected concept of only 30 cm high connecting paths", concludes Kiseljak. 

"The Aquapark increases the use of the beach and the entire non-boarding offer of the beach. It has been shown that this content has a direct impact on board spending as families, before deciding where to travel, also research the beach's offer to make sure that the children will have enough entertainment.", points out our interlocutor whom we asked if there are already any new aquapark projects for 2025.

AQUAGLIDE aquapark is the safest on the market, and they guarantee 30% to 50% more profit

"Serious investments are contracted earlier in order to enter the pre-order, which achieves benefits through financial discounts and a guaranteed priority installation period. The most attractive project for 2025 is certainly the aquapark in Žnjan, and the investor is the city of Split. It will be the absolute largest AQUAGLIDE aquapark not only in Croatia and the wider region. a swing with a circus trapeze. Here I am listing only 5 of the total of 8 elements that will be installed in the aquapark in Žnjan. One thing is certain, this aquapark will raise the quality of the tourist offer of the city of Split to a new level." emphasizes Kiseljak, clarifying the procedure for entering the aquapark business, i.e. procurement procedure and project realization procedure.

"It's quite simple, after you contact us, we guide you through the entire process - from design, because we create a uniquely designed aquapark for each client, through the installation, maintenance and servicing of installed parks throughout the season, all the way to marketing support. The AquaSuperPark team has many years of experience in supporting AQUAGLIDE aquapark clients. Our partners have recognized the quality and all the advantages offered by the AQUAGLIDE aquapark brand, it is up to our AquaSuperPark team to follow it up with top-notch support and service in every business segment." concludes Kiseljak.

Find out more about AQUAGLIDE parks at www.aquasuperpark.com

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January 13, 2025