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From The Industry: The Disney BritCruise, the relationship between Covid and museums, and honouring a Star Trek legend

Rounding up all the biggest news from both publications and associations, here is your latest edition of From the Industry from Planet Attractions

In this week’s edition of From The Industry, the Disney Cruise Line’s new British voyage, the changing face of museums in the face of COVID-19 and the honour bestowed on legendary Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.



In Britain, the Disney Cruise Line is preparing to take its customers on their first voyage in over a year but the itinerary is quite different from normal.

Cruise Trade News is reporting that the Disney Magic cruise liner will sail two and three-night voyages, as well as limited four-night sailings, in roundtrips from London Tilbury, Newcastle, Liverpool and Southampton, with the ship will not calling at ports once it has departed.

Staying in the UK but moving over the museums community, the Museums Journal reports that Britain’s museums and galleries saw a 77% fall in visits in 2020.

The data, which comes from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), said that the total number of visits to all ALVA sites (including zoos, gardens and churches) was 45.4 million during the year, compared to 151.3 million in 2019. It wasn’t all doom and gloom however, with gardens and venues with outdoor spaces rising up the visitor charts.

With Covid restrictions having a profound impact on the way visitors experience attractions, the Museums and Heritage advisor asks where museums fit in the ever-shifting idea of home.



Meanwhile, Blooploop has spoken to Hesham Sharaf, COO of Qetaifan Projects, which is developing Qetaifan Island North - an innovative entertainment destination comprising a state-of-the-art waterpark and luxurious hotels, as well as a residential community, on an island off Lusail City in Doha, Qatar.

With a growing global brand, KidZania continues to empower the next generation through technologically advanced role-playing activities and a new 4.0 model. IAAPA’s official publication Funworld has taken a closer look at the company and how it has grown over the last two decades.

From the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ official publication Connect, the Chicago Zoological Society has shared details of its Sarasota dolphin research programme, which has conducted the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population anywhere in the world.



The American Alliance of Museums has actually looked toward a zoo for inspiration this week, with the Woodland Park Zoo sharing how it motivates guests to act to conserve wildlife through instilling empathy for animals.

Some good news from the arcade sector and RePlay Magazine, with Hologate - the location-based entertainment company - reporting total player numbers per week are back to pre-pandemic levels.

The National Lottery Heritage fund has upped its commitment to diversity, appointing three new committee members who offer strong regional awareness and expertise both in the heritage sector and in promoting diversity and inclusion.



From Attractions Magazine, the late Leonard Nimoy is set to be honoured by Boston’s Museum of Science, which, in collaboration with Nimoy’s family and artist David Phillips, are on a mission to install a 20-foot, stainless steel monument, shaped like the Vulcan hand gesture, at the front of the institution.

The actor, whose career spanned more than 60 years, was born just blocks from the Museum of Science, and his values of unity and tolerance stemmed from his early years as a Boston native. In the 1980s, he worked with the museum, providing the voice-over for the Mugar Omni Theater’s introduction film.