Construction sites belong to the Munich Zoo like elephants, polar bears and giraffes. Constantly renewed, modernized, improved. Because husbandry guidelines are changing, such as those of the lions, whose two Munich representatives are getting a new home. Or because the needs of visitors change.
Anyone who knows amusement and action parks, who is used to being able to reach for a snack anywhere and being surrounded by touchscreens, expects a culinary and entertaining selection in a zoo, which you can certainly get in the Munich Tierpark. However, there is one construction site that cannot be seen, although visitors spend a lot of time with it: the entrance.
In times when you pay contactless with a smartwatch, cars can be opened via app and the next Bahncard is sent to you months before the start of validity, the processes at the cash registers in Hellabrunn seem very yesterday. Automated access? Turnstiles with scanners for tickets? There is not any. But queues every day. This is understandable on summer weekends with many thousands of visitors, but not when there is nothing going on on freezing January days.
If the zoo wants to be attractive to visitors – and that is the prerequisite for the success of its own claim of making many people aware of the living conditions of the animals – it cannot afford to annoy customers before they enter. Especially not the loyal visitors, the annual pass holders, who will also pay 20 percent more for their pass from next week.
How about, for example, as a quick remedy with a fast lane, a fast lane only for holders of valid annual tickets, that would probably multiply their sales quickly. A rapid checkout and service modernization would pay off and be worthwhile, even if an enclosure construction site has to wait for it.