First European Theme Park to Accept Payment with Bitcoin

In the first phase of the digitization project, Spanish resort PortAventura World will accept bitcoins as a form of payment in all its parks and hotels next season.
The most visited theme park in Spain and one of the most important in Europe wants to be in tune with the most current consumer trends.

Resort and theme park PortAventura World has become the first in Europe to accept payments in bitcoins for the services it offers at its facilities located in Tarragona, Spain.

This initiative is part of the digitalization and innovation project implemented by the company PortAventura Entertainment, S.A.U., owner of the resort and the joint venture it maintains with LaLiga. The joint venture offers entertainment content through e-games and corporate events in a hybrid format.

PortAventura World is a holiday and leisure complex located in the Vilaseca and Salou de Tarragona municipalities. It represents one of the main tourist attractions on the Spanish Costa Dorada, which had 5.2 million visitors in 2019.

Starting next holiday season, foreign and Spanish tourists visiting this theme park, considered the most visited in Spain and the sixth largest in Europe, will be able to pay in bitcoins.

The Initiative Seeks to Facilitate and Expand Payment Options

PortAventura World is the tourist complex with the most theme parks in Europe. It is made up of two theme parks (PortAventura Park and Ferrari Land). In addition it owns PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park, six hotels with a total capacity of 2,300 rooms, and other attractions.

The ??new payment option seeks to facilitate payments and expand its market in the region. The initiative will be launched at the beginning of the next season next year in each of the resort’s hotels.

In this way, guests and visitors who wish to pay in bitcoins will be able to make their transactions in an agile, simple, and secure way.

The company, which has registered assets (2019) valued at 546 million euros and sales of 241 million euros per year, has started a process of administrative transformation towards the digitization of payments. That is why in the first stage of the project it will accept payments in bitcoins, but later it could accept other cryptocurrencies that operate in the market.

Innovating the Entertainment Industry

"The promotion of initiatives like this allows us to be aligned with the latest trends and satisfy the needs of our customers, essential aspects to reinforce our position as a leading and innovative company in the entertainment industry,"

explained the General Director of Business of PortAventura World, David García Blancas.

He said that “from PortAventura World we are immersed in a profound process of digital acceleration with the aim of improving the experience of our visitors and continuing to promote new and innovative forms of entertainment.”

García Blancas said that the resort is investing in these technological and digital transformation initiatives with the aim of expanding to an online management model that is in line with current consumer trends.

On The Flipside

The company continues to strengthen the online channel in its marketing plans. For this, the development of the corporate website and app is being promoted.
It has also strengthened the use of digital tools within its parks in order to further improve the customer experience.
Competition for a slice of the broader leisure pie is leading companies in the tourism and entertainment sector to explore new markets.

Why You Should Care?

The use of cryptocurrencies in global commerce continues to grow every day. More small, medium, and large companies are accepting bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies as a payment method for goods and services.