Pune: With temperatures crossing 40 degrees and with the onset of summer vacations, residents are making a beeline to water parks in and around Pune. “There are limited outdoor activities for children owing to the ongoing heat wave. We have decided to go to close by water parks for one day picnics as the children will enjoy as well,” said Devanshi Tanna, a resident of Baner. Water parks are expecting a surge of 20-30% in terms of footfalls in the month of May. Many have also lined up special packages for group bookings, with varying weekday and weekend rates. “We are getting a lot of pre-bookings for the weekend and are also offering special rates to groups of 10 people and more,” said a ticketing manager of a water park in the city.“We have also introduced a few heat-mitigating features like misting zones across the park to enhance guest comfort during this period. Growth has been supported by the continuous addition of new attractions, immersive shows, and fresh experiences across the parks.There has also been a strong focus on event-led programming, curated offerings, and formats that encourage repeat visits,” said Dhimant Bakshi, CEO, Imagicaa world Entertainment. Footfalls are largely driven by strong regional catchments, with visitors coming from nearby metros as well as emerging Tier 2 cities.Lonvala based amusement & water park Wet n Joy, is giving special summer discounts and ‘Buy-1-get-1-offers’. For group bookings, there are further discounts of 10%. “We plan our weekends in advance and purchase tickets to water parks online. There are better discounts on online bookings. The children will be keen to experience the new slides, attractions at these parks too,” said Sheetal Thakur, a resident of Magarpatta.Interestingly, Diamond water park at Lohegaon has introduced evening packages to allow guests to enjoy the park after the heat subsides. Abhijeet Bhairavkar, Marketing Head, Diamond water park said that footfalls are seeing a significant rise compared to last summer. “There is clear pent-up demand, with weekends and post-exam periods seeing strong traction. However, extreme heat conditions and orange alerts in some cities have influenced timing, with fewer visitors during peak afternoon hours. Instead, people are choosing more comfortable time slots, indicating a shift in behavior rather than a drop in interest,” he said. Apart from Pune and Mumbai, there are an increasing number of visitors from nearby cities like Sambhajinagar and Satara.
