Animal Attractions parkworld-online.com


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Attractions such as carousels and train rides (as supplied by Fabbri and Severn Lamb to Flamingo Land and Louisville Zoo) remain amongst the most common rides at zoos and animal parks, but now attractions such as zip lines and ropes courses are providing operators with additional revenue-making opportunities


Whether


it’s a custom- themed carousel or more ‘active’ experiences like ropes courses, climbing walls and zip lines, they are becoming an increasingly important revenue earner for zoos and aquariums, which often exist as charitable foundations


ride is so fleeting that those experiencing it hardly notice, but has great marketing and spectator appeal and is a neat way of marrying SeaWorld’s marine life heritage with a waterpark experience. At Aquatica San Antonio in Texas, the signature attraction is Stingray Falls, a lazy river surrounded by stingray and tropical fish. Guests staying at the Atlantis resorts in Dubai and the Bahamas, meanwhile, can float through shark or ray-filled lagoons on the Leap of Faith, Serpent Slide and Shark Attack attractions within the on-site Aquaventure waterparks.


At the Houston Downtown Aquarium in Texas, a CP Huntingdon train with glass-topped coaches provides a more unusual way to travel through the glass tunnels than the moving walkways found in many other aquariums around the world.


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But why travel underneath an animal habitat when you could fly over it? The Kolmården animal park in Sweden, which already features a dolphin-themed rollercoaster, was thought to be the first zoo to introduce a cable car system as a dedicated animal-viewing opportunity when it launched Kolmården Safari in 2011 (see page 40). The experience, which lasts almost half an hour, travels over six themed animal habitats, accompanied by commentary in either Swedish, Finnish or English. The Indianapolis Zoo in the US city and state of the same name, is preparing to debut a unique attraction in 2014 called SkyQuest. Designed by US Thrill Rides and built by Chance, this aerial people mover will give guests the opportunity to take in the new zoo’s new Orangutan exhibit from above.


This past summer, Bristol Zoo became the first UK zoo to offer Segway tours. For £30 ($50/€36), visitors were lead by a guide through 12-acres of gardens on board their own personal two-wheeled transport, allowing them to experience the zoo and its inhabitants – including 12 animatronic “dinosaurs” – like never before. All money generated was put towards supporting the zoo’s conservation work.


Rides as revenue earners


Whilst amusement parks generally offer rides as part of the admission price, there is not the same expectation for them to be free at a zoo where, after all, the animals are the main attraction. Whether it’s a custom-themed carousel or more ‘active’ experiences like ropes courses, climbing walls and zip lines, they are becoming an increasingly important revenue earner for zoos and aquariums of all kinds, which often exist as charitable foundations. “Some zoos have been lucky enough to have taxpayer or local government support,” notes Gannon, “but even those establishments need to find ways to increase revenues and decrease costs.” “Opportunities for revenue generation are becoming more important as state and local budgets are being cut and zoos and aquariums are looking for additional funding for their operational budget,” agrees Breitenstein. “Amusement rides such as trains, trams and carousels are very low maintenance and do not require a lot of staff to operate or maintain. Not only can they act as revenue generators, but they also offer plenty of opportunity to involve the community and local businesses to sponsor the initial cash outlay to purchase the rides. We have seen many zoos auction off naming rights for their carousel figures in order to raise funds for its purchase.” But how do you choose what kind of ride to add? Gannon offers this advice: “A guest survey should be conducted prior to investing in any ride to see what the guests want, and then consider your zoo’s objective: to make the ride free and increase the gate, or to charge extra. Either way, it is best to be flexible, and adjust pricing quickly if need be. The more profitable rides are likely to those integrated into a new or existing attraction.”


But install with care, advises Breitenstein: “The disruption of the surrounding area caused during construction can be troubling to the animals on


LEFT: Singapore River Safari JANUARY 2014


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