Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Attractions Industry
The attractions industry consists of
fixed-location amusement parks and attractions in the United
States and other countries. They are primarily private businesses, although there are a number of
publicly operated facilities. Amusement parks and attractions in the United States generate over
$11.5 billion in annual revenues. Approximately 500,000 people are employed year round/seasonally
by the industry in the United States, and over 300 million people visited amusement parks and
attractions, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
The attractions industry is dominated by Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which have been two
of the most successful attractions ever developed. However, while theme parks are a major tourist
attraction, there are more than 10,000 natural scenic, historic, cultural, and entertainment attractions
that appeal to travelers in the United States. Attractions include not only theme parks but also the
entertainment park, amusement park, animal park, water park, museum, scenic railway, historic
village, preserved mansion, scenic cruise, natural wonder, restaurant, music festival, industry exhibit,
cave, theater, historic farm, scenic overlook, resort complex, historic site, botanical garden, arboretum,
plantation, hall of fame, water show, zoo, sports complex, cultural center, state park, national park,
county park, outdoor theater, Native American reservation, and transportation exhibit.
Theme Parks
The theme park business has enjoyed spectacular expansion since the opening of Disneyland in 1955 in
Anaheim, California. This
changed the local amusement park business considerably
because it expanded the concept of amusement parks from simply rides and carnival barkers to include
shows, shops, and restaurants in theme settings with immaculate cleanliness, promising adventure,
history, science
fiction, and fantasy.
The success of Disneyland brought Walt Disney World, the largest and grandest theme park in the
world, with Magic Kingdom as the focal point of the resort complex. The Magic Kingdom attracts over
17.2 million visitors annually (see Table 8.1). The Orlando site also has a 500-acre conservation project
for the preservation of fauna and wildlife, including 1,700 animals from 250 species (Animal Kingdom);
Epcot, which is divided into Future World, an experimental prototype community of tomorrow, and
the World Showcase, where several nations feature exhibits of their country
theme park
s attractions and culture;
Disney Hollywood Studios, with rides, behind-the-scenes movie experiences, and shows; and Down-
town Disney, with a wide variety of entertainment, shopping, and dining (see
disneyworld.disney.go
.com
).
Table 8.1 shows the top 25 theme parks in the world ranked by attendance. Disney dominates,
holding the
first 8 positions, plus 2 more for a total of 10 of the top parks. The United States has
13 parks, Japan 4, South Korea 2, Hong Kong 2, France 1, Germany 1, The Netherlands 1, and Denmark 1
in the top 25.
As would be expected, the success of the Disney theme parks brought imitators and large
corporations to the business. In addition to those listed in Table 8.1, other prominent theme parks in
the United States are Knott
'
s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California; Kings Island in Mason, Ohio; Cedar
Point in Sandusky, Ohio; Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia; Hershey Park in Hershey,
Pennsylvania; Legoland in Carlsbad, California; and Six Flags Park in Jackson, New Jersey, Valencia,
California, and Gurnee, Illinois.
Global park attendance
figures prepared by TEA (Themed Entertainment Association), in associa-
tion with AECOM (formerly Economic Research Associates), are published in Park World (
www.
parkworld-online.com
). The information is also available in pdf format on the TEA and AECOM Web
sites at
www.teaconnect.org
and
www.aecom.com./economics
. Attendance numbers are provided for
the top 25 theme parks worldwide, top 20 parks in North America, top 20 parks in Europe, top 20
water parks worldwide, top 15 parks in Asia, top 10 parks in Latin America, and top 10 chains
worldwide. Visit those sites for the latest information.
'
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