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Brand New FREE Safari at Chessington this August Bank Holiday

ALMOST HALF OF PARENTS ARE STILL TOO CAUTIOUS TO ENJOY FAMILY DAYS OUT DUE TO COVID CONCERNS.

Safari Adventure VIP Experience with Hyundai at Chessington World of Adventures

  • Following research that parents are worried they’re not spending enough quality time together as a family, Hyundai has partnered with Chessington World of Adventures Resort to offer an exclusive VIP safari experience that the whole family will never forget
  • In a UK first, guests will be able to drive up-close to giraffe, zebra and ostrich at the Resort using Hyundai’s electric SUV, the Kona Electric
  • The Safari Adventure VIP Experience will be FREE for participating guests over the August Bank Holiday weekend
  • Kona Electric’s zero emissions and lack of engine noise means that the safari can take place with minimal disruption to the animals and the environment

New research from leading car manufacturer Hyundai has found that 43% of parents are cautious to engage with everyday family activities with their children, with 29% hesitant to do so at all, and a third (36%) worrying that they’re not spending enough quality time together as a family due to the uncertainty around COVID. 

This uncertainty has been felt keenly by the tourism and hospitality sector, with leading family Theme Park and Zoo, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, closed for three months and now reopen with a reduced capacity of approximately 60 per cent of guests it would normally welcome at this time of year. Two-thirds (66%) of parents say it's important we support the tourism and hospitality sectors bounce back from COVID-19.  

However, as two out of five (37%) parents say they’re most looking forward to returning to theme parks and almost a third (29%) have a family safari on their bucket list, Hyundai has partnered with Chessington to encourage families to venture out once more. 

Hyundai is offering a unique way to explore the Resort with a brand-new Safari Adventure VIP Experience that sees guests travel across the African animal Wanyama Reserve in a fleet of fully electric Kona SUVs. 

In a UK first, guests will be driven around the entire space by a Resort Park Ranger on the new Safari Adventure, which includes seeing Grevy’s zebra, Common eland, and ostrich to name but a few. Guests will also then explore the home of Chessington’s five Rothschild’s giraffes and make a special stop to climb up high and hand-feed the ’tower’ – which is what a group of giraffes are called!

The all new Kona Electric SUV is the perfect reintroduction vehicle, with a range of up to 278 miles, zero emissions and its near silent electric motor allowing the animals to acquaint themselves with guests at ease. 

Chessington World of Adventures

Ashley Andrew, Managing Director at Hyundai Motor UK, said: “In these unprecedented times, we are pleased to be partnering with Chessington World of Adventures Resort to offer this unique family experience in our award-winning Kona Electric. We have all faced many challenges this year and when our research revealed families are worried they aren’t spending enough quality time together, we wanted to do something to bring some smiles back to faces. This one-off adventure will provide those families with the opportunity to get up close to the African animals for some picture-perfect moments which we hope they will never forget.”

This all comes as the reality of lock down hits home. The majority (56%) of parents have admitted struggling to keep their children entertained and two-thirds (65%) say it’s difficult to find new safe activities to do as a family. This follows a stressful period where most (54%) parents confess they have struggled with home-schooling and two out of five (38%) say they haven’t been able to balance work with childcare. 

Whilst there clearly is reticence, three out of five (60%) parents say they would prioritise activities that have COVID measures in place and a fifth (21%) are keen to ensure their activities are kinder to the environment, with most (56%) parents admitting they’re more conscious of their impact on the environment following the pandemic. 

So much so, that two out of five (40%) parents say they’re more likely to drive an electric car now having seen the environmental benefits of reducing harmful emissions on the roads during lockdown. Indeed, 53% of parents are aiming to own an electric vehicle in the next five years as almost half (46%) say their driving habits and attitudes have changed as a result of lockdown with 44% now more likely to drive fewer longer journeys. 

VIP Manager at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Tom Brough, said: “While we offer VIP Experiences at the Resort, we’ve never offered such a unique safari encounter, allowing guests to greet giraffe, zebra and ostrich from a vehicle that they could equally find themselves driving on the road.”           

The Safari Adventure VIP Experience at Chessington World of Adventures Resort is available to book for FREE on a first-come, first-served basis over the August Bank Holiday weekend. You can book now by visiting www.chessington.com/hyundai/ and emailing Chessington’s VIP team at VIPExperiences@chessington.co.uk.