International Theme Park Services (ITPS) has dramatically withdrawn from the ORA mixed-use leisure development in Istanbul, Turkey, after three and-a-half years of providing operational, management and design support.
Located in the Bayrampasa district of the Turkish capital, the project includes a theme park/FEC called Landora in addition to a shopping mall, arts arena and two hotels – and has been in soft opening phase since late 2011.
“The project should never have opened when it did and we advised them accordingly,” states ITPS president Dennis Speigel, claiming guests were immediately disappointed. “The ownership has taken it upon themselves to attempt to operate the theme park but does not have competent help in any form to understand the complexities of how to run a theme park project or how to safely operate the rides and attractions.”
Speigel states that, “Even being owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back compensation, we continued to communicate and advise – to no avail.” It is also understood that several ride manufacturers and other vendors are still owed money.
“We can no longer be a part of the colossal mismanagement of the ORA project,” concludes Speigel. “It is truly sad to see a failure of this size and particularly in an emerging market like Turkey, which offers so much opportunity for the leisure industry. “
