... no matter how you spell John or ERA....
from the 4/5 St. Petersburg (FL) Times
Coasters Plunge, Numbers Soar
by Mark Albright
"If there's any question about the drawing power of new headline thrill rides, take a peek at Florida theme park attendance in 2006.
The biggest gainer was Disney's Animal Kingdom, where attendance soared 8.6 percent after the debut of the Yeti-chases-runaway-roller-coaster Expedition Everest. Meanwhile, Busch Gardens Africa got a lingering boost from the second year afterglow of SheiKra, Florida's first dive coaster, which along with some new special events, propelled the Tampa park to 4.3-million visitors in 2006. The performance nudged Busch Gardens up a notch to the nation's 11th most popular theme park. It's one reason why Busch will close SheiKra down for two weeks after Memorial Day to punch up the fear factor by yanking out the floor from its trains.
"Adding a major ride can bring a 5 to 10 percent increase in attendance," said John Robinette, senior vice president of Economic Research Associates in Los Angeles that compiled the annual attendance report released Wednesday by InPark, a theme-park trade journal based in Milwaukee.
While the modus operandi of theme parks has never changed - a safe and secure, aesthetically pleasing environment for a family gathering - updating the setting keeps people coming back.
"Rule number one in the theme park business is 'thou shalt invest,' " added Ray Braun, senior vice president of the same firm." ......
for the article see: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1250319771.html?dids=1250319771:1250319771&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+5%2C+2007&author=MARK+ALBRIGHT&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=COASTERS+PLUNGE%2C+NUMBERS+SOAR
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment