Bizarre abandoned theme park frozen in time without visitors but staff remain
An abandoned theme park once popular with Brit holidaymakers is eerily quiet but still bizarrely kept looking smart as staff stop it falling into disrepair.
Pictures show most of the Tivoli World fairground looking well attended by staff with no signs of paint fading or rides becoming overgrown with vegetation despite closing its doors three years ago.
And it is now probably the best kept abandoned tourist attraction with white paint still shining, and below a sign reading Tivoli World is written a message - “no to the closure”.
Like so many visitor hotspots, it was forced to close in 2020 after pandemic travel restrictions and social distancing measures helped destroy the local tourist economy.
The rides were briefly reopened for two months, but closed again in 2021 when the owners of Tivoli filed for bankruptcy and entered into a legal battle over the money allegedly owed.
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Tivoli World on the Costa del Sol did not reopen for the summer 2021 holiday season (Getty Images)Despite the closure, the Daily Star reported that, due to a strange contractual loophole, the staff remained employed. They are stuck in a doom loop where they are not being paid but they are contractually not allowed to look for alternative employment.
The workers, rather than languish at home, decided to keep turning up to the park every day, making sure the rides and facilities do not fall into a state of disrepair.
Their constant maintenance has kept the abandoned adventure park in Benalmadena — situated about 13 miles from Malaga — in good condition, despite its owners being chased for around £3.5 million.
The attractions are locked to visitors (Getty Images)According to local media, the phantom staff went under the radar until three locals attempted to break in and steal equipment from the disused site and found the theme park still occupied.
Juan Ramon Delgado, president of the Salvemos Tivoli group, set out the difficult decision that the staff find themselves in.
“The attractions are still there, many metres of electric cable, as well as machinery in the bars and ice cream parlours," said Mr Delgado.
“We haven't been paid for 10 months, but we can't work on anything else either because we're discharged. The situation is unsustainable.”
There have been demonstrations calling for Tivoli World to reopen (Getty Images)In total, 87 members of staff are still attending the site on a daily basis, hoping that it will reopen. They have been asking the courts to either help reopen the site, or to sort their contract issues out.
There have even been demonstrations calling for the gates to be unlocked.
The remaining staff insist that rides like the so-called Freefall Tower and Ferris wheel would be ready to resume almost at once should paying patrons be allowed back in.
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Mr Delgado, who goes to the site every week, Monday to Friday, said: “Despite the fact that we have no income, we do what we can to the best of our ability.”
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