PGAV Destinations’ Award-winning Summer
Five PGAV attractions receive industry honors in summer 2014
(St. Louis, MO – September 16, 2014) – Summer 2014 has been a thrilling season for PGAV Destinations and its clients as five destinations, including Discovery Cove, Georgia Aquarium, Port Aventura, Space Shuttle Atlantis, and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom have all received top industry awards this year!
- Discovery Cove: “World’s Number One Amusement Park,” TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ ChoiceTM
- Georgia Aquarium: “Best North American Aquarium,” USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice
- Angkor: Adventure in the Lost Kingdom: “Europe’s Best Family Ride,” European Star Awards
- Space Shuttle Atlantis: “Top Multimedia Installation,” American Alliance of Museums MUSE Award
- Chimelong Ocean Kingdom: Five World Records, Guinness Book of World Records
For the second year in a row, Discovery Cove was voted the number one amusement park in the world in the 2014 TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ ChoiceTM Awards, topping the likes of Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, and Animal Kingdom. Since opening in 2000, the PGAV master-planned and designed destination offers 1,300 guests per day a one-of-a-kind experience where they can touch and swim with dolphins, wade with rays, snorkel amongst thousands of exotic fish, and relax on pristine beaches. “There aren’t enough words to express how wonderful of a time I had at Discovery Cove. Not only was I absolutely treated like royalty, but everyone with me was blown away by the amazing service and absolutely enjoyable experience. The animal encounters were like being in a dream, the grand reef was mind blowing,” said user Kitcatsheart recently on TripAdvisor.
Consistently winning awards year after year, the Georgia Aquarium was voted the Best North American Aquarium in USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Awards,” beating out 20 additional nominees. The PGAV-designed destination stands as the third-largest aquarium in the world and still the only aquarium in the western hemisphere where guests can view live whale sharks, since opening in 2005.
When Angkor: Adventure in the Lost Kingdom opened this summer at Port Aventura in Salou, Spain, it set the world record for longest interactive boat ride. It didn’t take long for the new attraction to win a European Star Award as first place in “Europe’s Best Family Ride.” The attraction takes guests on a winding path through a lost jungle as they encounter animals, villagers, and each other in a rich, Angkor Wat-inspired environment. The award will be received this September at IAAPA Amsterdam.
Having just opened in summer 2012 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Space Shuttle Atlantis received the American Alliance of Museums’ top Muse Award this summer in the Multimedia Installations category. Master planned and designed by PGAV Destinations, Space Shuttle Atlantis tells the epic, 30-year story of the Space Shuttle Program and stars Atlantis, one of only three remaining space-flown orbiters, and the last to fly in space.
Rounding out the summer of accolades was Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, which set five Guinness Book of World Records and welcomed a first for Asia when it opened early this summer. Master planned and designed by PGAV Destinations, Ocean Kingdom proudly boasts the world’s largest aquarium, aquarium tank, underwater viewing dome, aquarium window, acrylic panel, and Asia’s first wing coaster, Flying over the Rainforest.
“It’s been a really thrilling summer for us and we’re delighted to see so many of our clients succeeding and flourishing,” said PGAV Destinations principal and chair Mike Konzen. “These destinations continue to innovate and evolve year after year to remain leaders in their industries, and it’s an honor to be a part of that vision.”
About PGAV Destinations
PGAV Destinations is a global leader in the planning and design of unique destinations. Now in its fifth decade, the practice has evolved to become the ideal destination-consulting partner, skilled at developing growth-oriented master plans and translating those plans into successful projects. No other firm offers such an integrated approach to destination planning.
PGAV’s key clients include industry leaders such as Delaware North Companies, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the Biltmore Companies, Bass Pro Shops, Ameristar Casinos, Universal Studios, The Gettysburg Foundation, the St. Louis Zoo, and many others. Recent assignments include planning and design at many of the world’s “must see” destinations, including the Grand Canyon, Biltmore Estate, Space Shuttle Atlantis, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, the Georgia Aquarium, the Hoover Dam, and SeaWorld Adventure Parks. www.PGAVDestinations.com
