Normally, Van Hoorne’s Molenwaard Adventure Farm attracts 170,000 visitors. The theatre productions with, among others, Fien & Teun open the doors to more than 400,000 guests in the Netherlands alone. Things are completely different this year. Thanks to government support, there were no redundancies for the eighty permanent employees of Van Hoorne Entertainment. “It’s all very frustrating,” says Van Hoorne. Even so, he’s quick to see the silver lining.
Experience concept
In recent months, Van Hoorne had more time for himself. “That also means you come up with new ideas.” The Van Hoorne Group is building the Molenwaard Holiday Park at the former De Put campsite. This nine-hectare experience concept is home to adventurous and thematic holidays in the Alblasserwaard area. “So many visitors to the Adventure Farm asked us where they could spend the night. And apart from a handful of bed & breakfasts, there wasn’t really anywhere. Which is a shame because there is plenty of demand. There is enough to see and do around here to keep people happily entertained for two, three or four days at a time. And so we decided to fill that gap in the market.” The first pile was driven on 16 November. The opening ceremony followed on 28 May 2021.
Michael van Hoorne: “The entire construction, from financing to all the legal and fiscal elements of the holiday park, was developed with Hoek en Blok. They were already our accountant and we had worked together in the past on corporate finance to secure a bank loan for our company building. In the case of Molenwaard, Wim Stuij personally championed the project and ensured that eight major investors laid the groundwork to bring it all about. It really was a fantastic alliance.”
Investment
During the first phase, 46 chalets, 32 unique lodge tents and 31 cabins on the water will be built at the Molenwaard Holiday Park; some of the chalets are available as investment properties. Starting at 133,000 euros, you can buy one and enjoy a two-week free stay annually, as well as a guaranteed return of 4 percent that can rise to 5 percent.