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Park News
www.parkworld-online.com
SEASON SNAPSHOT
How was business this season at your park or attraction? Here’s a snapshot from six venues
on three continents. More views in Big Question on page 8
Tivoli Adventure Island
Copenhagen institution Tivoli welcomed 2,810,000 guests during its summer Although precise figures are hard to come by (the park has no turnstiles),
season (April 16 to September 26) – on a par with 2008. approximately 13% more people are thought to have visited Adventure Island this
“In light of the economic crisis, we are very satisfied with a number of visitors season in Southend-on-Sea, England.
in the same range as last year,” remarked Tivoli CEO Lars Liebst. “We chose to With around 2 million guests, the park can now claim to the title of the UK’s
maintain a high investment level, no.1 free admission amusement park, replacing the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool,
including a new ride, despite the which imposed a new entry fee at the start of the season.
gloomy outlook and were rewarded by Philip Miller, Adventure Island’s chief executive, believes the weak economy is
our visitors, especially during the responsible for his park’s strong performance: “Due to the financial situation, more
second half of the summer season. and more people are having ‘staycations’ – choosing to stay and holiday at home
The park recently concluded its rather than go aboard. With Southend being
Halloween celebrations and is now proved as the warmest and driest part of
gearing up for Christmas in Tivoli the UK, it’s no surprise people are
(pictured), which runs November 20 to coming here for a great family
December 30. holiday.”
www.tivoli.dk
Adventure Island continues to
open winter weekends.
Tokyo Disneyland
www.adventureisland.co.uk
& Tokyo DisneySea
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Tokyo Disney Resort enjoyed a combined attendance of 12,301,000 guests at its
Holiday World & Splashin Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana, finished its 63rd season
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea during the first half of the fiscal year (April
by setting a new seasonal attendance record.
1 to September 30).
“This is the fourth year in a row we’ve topped one million in attendance,”
This amounts to 94.3% (746,000 persons less) of the attendance figure for the
reveals park president Will Koch. “This season we grew by nearly 3%. We’re very
same period last year. However, as this year follows immediately after a record
grateful to all the families who came to visit our park.”
25th anniversary season in 2008, a decline in turnout was expected and the figure
With a final count of 1,039,359 guests, Koch credits the season’s growth with
is still the third highest attendance for the first half of a fiscal year. Accordingly,
the addition of Pilgrims Plunge (pictured), the world’s tallest water ride, plus the
there will be no change to the forecasted annual attendance of 25,600,000
parks’ free soft drinks offer and continued concentration on cleanliness and
persons for the two parks.
friendliness.
The favourable figures are attributed to the opening of
“So much of the credit goes to the
Monsters Inc Ride & Go Seek!, the first new Tokyo
incredible service and hospitality
Disneyland attraction in five years, in
provided by our outstanding hosts and
addition to a new Halloween event at
hostesses,” Koch says. “It doesn’t matter
Tokyo DisneySea.
how great your rides are if the employees
www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp are rude and the bathrooms are filthy.”
Koch believes the parks’ strong growth
Liseberg
pattern should continue next year with
the addition at the Splashin’ Safari
City centre amusement park Liseberg, in Gothenburg, Sweden, welcomed nearly
waterpark of Wildebeest, the world’s
2.4 million guests during its summer season (up to October 11) – a leap of
longest waterslide coaster.
around 10% over last year.
www.holidayworld.com
“Home tourism has been a huge boom and we've really got proof that it pays to
invest in economically uncertain times," says Liseberg CEO Mats Wedin.
Thanks to its pricing structure, the park is able to assess the popularity of
Kennywood
individual attractions and the figures show that its new Rabalder family coaster was “Overall, Kennywood’s 2009
enjoyed by roughly one in five guests (415,000). season was successful, but not
Still the park’s most popular ride, without challenges.,” says the
however, is its Schwarzkopf hillside coaster, Pennsylvania park’s Jerome
Lisebergbanan, with 1.4 million riders. This Gibas. “Unseasonably cool summer temperatures and wet weather created
was followed by its Kållerado raft ride (1.2 attendance difficulties on several days, but we’re very familiar with Pittsburgh’s
million), Flume Ride (1.1 million), Balder unpredictable weather and how to manage the situation. While we experienced a
wooden coaster (1.1 million) and Kanonen decrease in the number of corporate picnics, we saw an increase in school and
launch coaster (700,000). The park also small group sales. Kennywood is the epitome of summer tradition in Western
hosts a popular concert programme. Pennsylvania and our guests are the best you’ll find anywhere. We’re already
Liseberg’s 10th Christmas season looking forward to a very busy 2010 season and the introduction of a new launch
(pictured) kicks off on November 13. coaster.”
www.liseberg.se www.kennywood.com
NOVEMBER 2009 25
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