Slagharen amusement park is happy to set a good example

As one of the largest amusement parks in the Netherlands, Slagharen is taking responsibility and ensuring a smoke-free environment throughout the park. The aim is to protect young visitors from the temptation of smoking and its harmful effects.

Slagharen has over 1 million visitors per year and is eager to set a good example. Assistant Operations Manager Wilco Warning: "We want to offer a safe and healthy environment, especially for our young guests. We have decided to make the entire park smoke-free, except in four smoking areas. These areas are deliberately situated in places where other visitors will not be bothered by the smoke."

Most visitors respond positively to the smoke-free policy. Wilco: "Reviews show that guests are happy with the policy, especially for their children." Smoke-free queues, in particular, are a welcome change for many visitors, as you often have to stand in line for a long time and cannot just leave. "Within the Club van Elf—the sector organisation for large amusement parks and zoos—we have collectively agreed that queues must be smoke-free, which already removes a major annoyance. We have taken it a step further and made the rest of the park as smoke-free as possible," adds Wilco.

Wilco says it was quite an exciting step: "We were worried that it would cause conflicts, especially as we were one of the first. However, we hardly receive any complaints from visitors in practice—although visitors are not always aware of it. When we notice someone smoking, we explain our smoke-free park policy and politely direct them to a smoking area. It sometimes needs a little extra explanation, but most visitors are very understanding. Slagharen staff are all aware of the smoke-free policy. "We ask our staff not to smoke in front of visitors because we want to set a good example. In line with that, employees are not allowed to smoke in the park's smoking areas either."

Wilco's tip for other amusement parks is to communicate well in advance that the park is mostly smoke-free. "You could notify visitors when they buy a ticket online," he says. "This avoids misunderstandings in the park itself. We announce it on our website and at the park entrance. It is also mentioned on our map and in the holiday park information booklet." Slagharen is also considering broadcasting the smoke-free policy over a PA system throughout the park. "This would remind our visitors of our smoke-free park throughout the day."

Not all amusement parks in the Netherlands are smoke-free yet, and the park staff have noticed that some visitors still have to get used to it. Wilco: "I think it is just a matter of time. When other major amusement parks follow, it will become normal. It will then be logical for us to take the next steps." Slagharen Director Dave Storm confirms that: "I expect that we will ban smoking completely in the future."