Dutch amusement park going viral on TikTok

Amusement Park Hellendoorn has significantly increased its visibility on TikTok. The park's videos regularly reach 50,000 views, and often approach one million, with some reaching up to 3 million views. With a total of 25 million views, this small park in the middle of the province of Overijssel is outshining other parks, such as the Efteling and even Disneyland Paris.

According to its all-around marketer, Jefta de Jong, who spoke to RTL Nieuws, the most popular content offers unique insights, such as behind-the-scenes or things that visitors do not usually get to see. For instance, a video depicting the start-up of a rapid river attraction has garnered at least 3 million views.

The account has an impressive total of 25 million views. A significant portion of this viewership is attributed to a single video featuring the 'Dragon's Nest' ride, where guests are seated on a disc that oscillates and spins. This video alone has gained 17 million views, making it the most watched. With these numbers, Hellendoorn surpasses both Efteling, which has 9.4 million views, and even Disneyland Paris, with 19.4 million views.

TikTok has proven to be a valuable instrument for increasing company visibility, according to TikTok expert Joey Scheufler. However, he noted successful companies on the platform usually stay true to themselves rather than attempting to join in on trends. “A family doctor dancing? That doesn't work," he said to RTL Nieuws.

He warned against companies delegating their TikTok account to their youngest employees or interns who may follow trends that do not align with the company's image or values. Missteps in content strategy can lead to negative impressions, especially for those discovering the company for the first time on TikTok. "If you start trying too hard to be 'hip' because you think that's what the audience likes, it tends to backfire," he remarked. Scheufler explained that the success of Adventure Park Hellendoorn on TikTok comes from its authenticity. The videos are simple, short, and without much fuss or embellishment.

Whether this online popularity will translate into increased visitor numbers remains uncertain. "It's hard to make statements about that because we don't measure that directly," De Jong said.