AquaZoo Leeuwarden

What AquaZoo Leeuwarden does

AquaZoo Leeuwarden is a privately held zoo and nature park located at De Groene Ster 2, Leeuwarden, in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. Founded in 1994 as an otter park and operating today as part of the Libéma Exploitatie B.V. leisure group (which also owns Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Dierenrijk/Eindhoven Zoo, and ZooParc Overloon), the park presents more than 80 animal species — including Amur tigers, polar bears, giant otters, red pandas, and Humboldt penguins — across themed zones such as the Wadden Area, with daily educational keeper presentations, two playgrounds, a 20-metre airtrampoline, and adventure routes with water crossings.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with a diversified revenue stack: entrance tickets (online from €17.50, walk-up €22.50, with online discounts of up to €5), annual subscriptions at €55/year with break-even after ~3 visits, group bookings for 10–100 persons from €17.50/p.p., school trips from €10.50/p.p. with an €9.50 early-bird window (December–April), three tiers of children's birthday parties from €12–€20.50/p.p., corporate consignation cards (minimum order, staffel discount at 200+ units), on-site F&B across a self-service restaurant, Beach Club, and food truck (with combodeals), parking, and conservation-linked animal adoptions routed through the Stichting Wildlife foundation. Distribution is omnichannel: own e-commerce webshop and on-site box office for core tickets, a Libéma shared group-booking portal for institutional and group sales, and an action-partner network (Sanquin, Restaurant Groote Wielen, MeiJo) distributing discount vouchers.

Technologically the operation is a conventional e-commerce and content platform (payment processing via Worldline, web analytics via Google Analytics, digital lesson content via LessonUp) with no proprietary technology moat; the value sits in physical assets, the animal collection, EAZA/NVD memberships, EEP breeding programmes (notably for the marsh wallaby and now giant otters), Duurzaam Gastvrij Gold sustainability certification, and shared Libéma group infrastructure. Customer segments are led by families with children in Friesland and northern Netherlands, followed by primary/secondary school groups, birthday party hosts, corporate clients, and annual pass holders — a distributed B2C base with no anchor enterprise concentration.

Name

AquaZoo Leeuwarden

Legal name

Aqua Zoo Friesland Exploitatie B.V.

Website

https://aquazoo.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AquaZoo Leeuwarden is a regional zoo and nature park in Friesland, Netherlands, presenting 80+ animal species to families, school groups, and tourists. Operated by Libéma Exploitatie B.V., it sells day tickets, annual passes, group and school bookings, birthday parties, and corporate consignation cards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zoo and Wildlife Park

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE)

Keywords

• Zoo admission tickets
• Annual zoo membership
• School trip excursions
• Children's birthday parties
• Wildlife conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeuwarden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Entrance ticket sales: Individual day tickets sold online with discount (up to €5 off) and at the gate at full price. E-tickets are dated or undated and scanned at entry.
2. Annual subscriptions: Yearly membership (Abonnement) priced at €55 per year, offering unlimited visits, discounts on children's birthday parties, and discounts for friends. Payback occurs after approximately three visits.
3. Group bookings and school trips: Group tickets for 10-100 persons from €17.50 per person; school trips from €10.50 per person with early-bird rate of €9.50 (Dec 1 - Apr 1). Catering arrangements and guided tours can be added as upsells.
4. Children's birthday parties: Three party packages offered: Kinderfeestje AquaZoo (€12/p.p.), AquaZoo met feestmaal (€16.50/p.p.), and Meet & Feed (€20.50/p.p.), each including park entry plus themed activities and catering.
5. Catering and food & beverage: On-site restaurants (self-service restaurant, Beach Club, food truck) offer food and drinks. Combodeals (e.g., muffin + drink from €8 for €6.95; burger + drink from €13.95 for €12.95) drive additional revenue.
6. Consignation cards: Corporate bulk ticket purchases at €17.50 per card with staffel discounts from 200+ units. Minimum order 10 cards. Companies distribute to employees, clients, or guests.
7. Animal adoption programs: Visitors can adopt a species through Stichting Wildlife, donating to nearly 30 conservation projects worldwide. Adoption categories (7 tiers) offer different benefits. Proceeds fund species conservation.
8. Parking fees: Parking tickets required to exit the park. Sold as add-on extras in the online ticketshop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AquaZoo Leeuwarden operates a zoological park in Friesland, Netherlands, presenting 80+ animal species including Amur tigers, polar bears, giant otters, and red pandas. Core revenue comes from day tickets and annual subscriptions sold direct-to-consumer, supplemented by group bookings, school trips, children's birthday party packages, corporate bulk consignation cards, on-site dining at two restaurants and a food truck, and animal adoption donations channeled through Stichting Wildlife to conservation projects worldwide.

Product overview

AquaZoo Leeuwarden is a zoo and nature park in Friesland, the Netherlands, presenting over 80 animal species as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. The core offering is day-ticket and annual-pass admission to the park, supplemented by paid group services (school trips, birthday parties, corporate events) and on-site dining. Ancillary paid offerings include animal adoption through Stichting Wildlife, mobile phone recycling for conservation, educational lesson packages and LessonUp digital lessons for schools, and the AquaZoo Passport activity booklet. On-site facilities encompass two playgrounds with adventure routes, a rowing pond, a 20m diameter airtrampoline, two restaurants (Restaurant and Beach Club), and a food truck. The park also operates a conservation and sustainability programme including species management (EEP/EAZA), nature restoration (Madagascar project via NVD), in situ conservation, and research. All products and services are bundled under a single zoo-visit experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dagkaarten (Day Tickets) Single-day entry tickets to AquaZoo Leeuwarden for individual visitors and families, available online with up to €5 discount versus the walk-up gate price of €22.50 per person. E-tickets are dated or undated and scanned at entry; children aged 0–2 enter free.
• Jaarabonnement (Annual Pass) Yearly subscription priced at €55 per person offering unlimited visits to the park, discounts on children's birthday parties, and discounts for friends. Break-even after approximately three visits. Day tickets can be exchanged at the cashier for subscription sign-up with the day rate refunded.
• Groepsentree (Group Tickets) Group entry tickets for 10–100 persons priced from €17.50 per person via a dedicated Libéma Smarteventmanager booking portal. Direct e-mail ticket delivery and optional catering arrangements for groups.
• Groepsarrangementen (Group Arrangements) Customizable group packages for 10 or more visitors that combine park entry with optional catering add-ons such as coffee and apple tart or lunch. Used for team outings, family groups, and care institution visits.
• Schoolreisjes (School Trips) Educational school trips for primary and secondary school classes (10+ students), priced from €10.50 per person with an early-bird rate of €9.50 for bookings between 1 December and 1 April. Includes free downloadable lesson packages per grade group and access to LessonUp digital lessons.
• Kinderfeestje AquaZoo Standard children's birthday party package at €12 per person including park entry and discovery activities for children aged 3–13. Minimum 6 persons required.
• Kinderfeestje AquaZoo met Feestmaal Children's birthday party package at €16.50 per person including park entry and a festive meal (fries with sauce and snack, or poffertjes with powdered sugar and butter, plus a bag of chips) for children aged 3–13. Minimum 6 persons required.
• Kinderfeestje Meet & Feed Premium children's birthday party at €20.50 per person including park entry, an animal feeding experience with Asian small-clawed otters (morning sessions) or raccoons (afternoon sessions), fries with snack, and unlimited squash for children aged 6–13. Minimum 6 persons; sessions start at 10:30 or 13:45.
• Consignatiekaarten (Consignment Cards) Corporate bulk-entry tickets priced at €17.50 per card, with a minimum order of 10 cards and tiered discounts from 200 units. Companies purchase cards for distribution to employees, clients, or guests who redeem them independently at the park entrance.
• Restaurant & Beach Club Dining Two on-site dining venues — a self-service restaurant near the entrance and the Beach Club halfway through the park with terrace seating, views of the tiger enclosure, and the largest airtrampoline in Friesland. Both serve Puro Fairtrade coffee, Rainforest Alliance tea, sandwiches, fries, snacks, cakes, and ice cream.
• Stichting Wildlife — Dieradoptie (Animal Adoption) Animal adoption packages offered in 7 price tiers for individuals or as gifts, with tier-specific benefits. Proceeds fund approximately 30 conservation projects worldwide via Stichting Wildlife, and periodic (5+ year) donations may be tax-deductible.
• Mobiel Inleveren — Mobile Phone Recycling for Conservation Visitors can donate old mobile phones at reception. Phones are sustainably recycled and Stichting Wildlife receives a contribution per device, supporting rainforest conservation and gorilla protection by reducing demand for coltan mining.

Quantifiable outcome

• After ~3 visits, the annual subscription (€55/year) pays for itself vs. individual tickets.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundación Rewilding ArgentinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2024Fundación Rewilding Argentina is an Argentine conservation organization that restores habitats and reintroduces species including the giant otter in northern Argentina. AquaZoo participates by contributing giant otters to the reintroduction program and by testing GPS harness technology for monitoring released animals. The foundation was contacted through otter expert Addy de Jongh.
• Stichting WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Stichting Wildlife is the conservation arm of the Libéma park group (Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Eindhoven Zoo, ZooParc Overloon, AquaZoo Leeuwarden). Founded in 1985, originally as Stichting Vrienden Safaripark Beekse Bergen. It funds nearly 30 global conservation projects and in 2025 helped protect 39 threatened species. AquaZoo contributes through animal adoptions, donations, mobile phone recycling, and bottle/can deposit donations. 32 volunteers support Stichting Wildlife activities at AquaZoo.
• EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEAZA is the European zoo association comprising ~350 parks across Europe. It coordinates international EEP (ex-situ management) programs for 400+ threatened species. AquaZoo participates in these programs and works with other EAZA members for species conservation, breeding programs, and research. Membership is a quality hallmark for zoos.
• NVD (Nederlandse Vereniging van Dierentuinen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch Zoo Association. AquaZoo is a member of the NVD, which coordinates conservation efforts among Dutch zoos. Together with 12 other NVD member parks, AquaZoo supports a large nature restoration project in Madagascar (250 hectares of rainforest, 1 million trees planted).
• IMPACT MadagascarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMPACT Madagascar works with local communities to combat illegal trade, deforestation, and poverty. They restore habitats through reforestation programs and help local populations plant fast-growing trees to reduce pressure on slow-growing native forests.
• Lemur Rescue CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lemur Rescue Center in Madagascar rescues ring-tailed lemurs from the pet and bushmeat trade. Animals receive medical care, are introduced into social groups, and eventually released into protected forest. AquaZoo supports this project through Stichting Wildlife.
• World Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Land Trust acquires and protects parcels of natural habitat worldwide, including in Paraguay where extremely threatened ecosystems (lowland rainforest, grasslands, wetlands, dry and wet forests) host species such as the giant otter and South American tapir. Supported by Stichting Wildlife.
• Polar Bears InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolar Bears International focuses on protecting polar bears and their sea ice habitat through education, research, and political advocacy. Their mission is to inspire people to take action on climate change. Supported by Stichting Wildlife.
• Red Panda NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Panda Network protects red pandas and their Himalayan habitat by funding local Forest Guardians who protect the habitat and educate communities about the importance of red pandas for local ecosystems. Supported by Stichting Wildlife.
• De FûgelhellingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Fûgelhelling is a wildlife rescue center that rehabilitates sick and injured animals for release. AquaZoo contributes by releasing rehabilitated animals (e.g., hedgehogs) into the park and by providing long-term care for animals that cannot return to the wild. The park has also funded construction of new enclosures through Stichting Wildlife.
• Sportvisserij Nederland (Sport Fishing Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportvisserij Nederland partners with AquaZoo on the 'Vissen voor Verbinding' (Fish for Connection) project, which breeds and releases sea trout into Dutch waterways. AquaZoo raises young sea trout in special tanks in the Wadden area; after one year, fish are released into streams in Drenthe.
• Waddenvereniging (Wadden Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Waddenvereniging works on restoring migratory fish routes and habitat quality in the Wadden Sea and surrounding waters, contributing to the Vissen voor Verbinding project alongside AquaZoo and Sportvisserij Nederland.
• Zwartebij.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZwartebij.org works to restore the native black honeybee (the only native Dutch honeybee species, nearly extinct due to competition from imported species). AquaZoo houses black bees in an apiary and in the insect garden, contributing to the species' return to the Netherlands.
• SanquinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSanquin is a blood donation organization. Blood donors who register with Sanquin receive a Sanquin x AquaZoo discount voucher, offering 25% off the regular ticket price at the park entrance. The voucher is valid through March 1, 2026.
• Restaurant Groote WielenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant Groote Wielen is a dining establishment located near AquaZoo. AquaZoo visitors receive a 15% discount on their bill plus a free ice cream for children upon presenting an action flyer from AquaZoo's cash register. Conversely, Groote Wielen guests receive 25% off AquaZoo entry (max 5 persons, by presenting an action flyer).
• Service-vereniging MeiJominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeiJo is a service association whose members receive 25% discount on the ticket price for up to 5 persons upon showing their MeiJo card at the AquaZoo entrance. Valid until December 31, 2026. Cannot be combined with other offers or used for online tickets.
• Libéma Exploitatie B.V. (parent company)coreOthersLibéma Exploitatie B.V. is the parent company of AquaZoo Friesland Exploitatie B.V. Libéma operates four leisure parks: Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Dierenrijk (Eindhoven Zoo), ZooParc Overloon, and AquaZoo Leeuwarden. Libéma is headquartered in Rosmalen, Netherlands (Graafsebaan 133, 5248 NL). Privacy and data processing for AquaZoo is handled by Libéma.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Burgers' Zoo: Major Arnhem-based zoo with large immersive habitats (Bush, Ocean, Mangrove). Comparable as a top-tier Dutch zoo competing for family visitors across the country, with broader ecosystems and longer average dwell times than AquaZoo.
• Diergaarde Blijdorp: Flagship zoo of Rotterdam and one of the largest in the Netherlands. Comparable as a Dutch zoological attraction competing for the same family and school-trip visitors, but at substantially greater scale, species breadth, and brand recognition.
• Ouwehands Dierenpark: Rhenen-based Dutch zoo notable for giant pandas and large-scale family attractions. Direct competitor for Dutch family day-trips and school groups, with stronger species draws and a more developed indoor experience.
• Artis Royal Zoo Amsterdam: Oldest zoo in the Netherlands, located in central Amsterdam. Comparable as a Dutch EAZA-member zoo with strong education and conservation credentials, but operating in a major tourist hub rather than a regional catchment like AquaZoo.

Direct peers

• GaiaZOO: Limburg-based themed zoo with strong conservation messaging and education programs. Comparable to AquaZoo in mid-market family positioning, EAZA involvement, and curriculum-aligned school offerings, though with different regional reach.
• ZooParc Overloon: Smaller Dutch wildlife park and Libéma group sibling. Closely comparable as a regional Dutch animal park with overlapping ticketing, group bookings, and shared conservation programming through Stichting Wildlife.
• Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen: Themed zoo in Emmen organized around jungles, savanna, and ice regions. Comparable as a Dutch zoo with strong school-trip programming and EAZA membership, but with deeper theming and a broader species portfolio than AquaZoo.
• Eindhoven Zoo (formerly Dierenrijk): Mid-sized Dutch zoo and direct Libéma group sibling of AquaZoo. Shares the Stichting Wildlife foundation, Libéma marketing infrastructure, and a similar mid-market family day-trip positioning in the southern Netherlands.
• Safaripark Beekse Bergen: Largest safari park in the Netherlands and one of AquaZoo's three sister parks under the Libéma group. Highly comparable as a Dutch Libéma-owned wildlife attraction sharing the Stichting Wildlife conservation platform and cross-park marketing.

Regional players

• Pairi Daiza: Large zoo and botanical garden in Brugelette, Belgium, near the Dutch border. Comparable as a Northwest-European EAZA zoo with strong species collection and family positioning, though it primarily competes in Belgium and does not overlap with AquaZoo's regional catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AquaZooLeeuwarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquazoo-leeuwarden

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AquaZoo Leeuwarden