Unit 7, Lesson 3, Exercise B 1.35
Part 5 I’m going to finish with some more comments about the future of theme parks. The development of a big theme park often creates a demand for other tourism and hospitality services such as hotels, restaurants and shops. This is especially true of a park aiming at tourists. Why is this? Well, it’s simple, really – tourists have to stay somewhere, they need to eat and drink, and they want to shop. So, theme parks generate demand for motel and hotel accommodation, entertainment attractions, and commercial and retail development. The best example of this is, again, Walt Disney World in Florida. The whole park is some 28,000 acres, although the Magic Kingdom itself is not that big. It’s only about 100 acres! But surrounding the site are many other tourism- related facilities, such as a golf course, a resort hotel and other types of accommodation, a retail centre and an entertainment village with cinemas, concert halls, restaurants and shops.
I’ll finish by reviewing the key factors for successful development of theme parks. To sum up, then, the first factor is that you must have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. In other words, you must know what you want. You need to know which theme, which rides, which shows, and which markets you want to focus on.
The second key success factor is that each step of the process requires careful planning. Let me put it another way. Without careful economic analysis, careful planning and careful management, it won’t work and you won’t draw tourists in. Theme parks may appear simple, but the fact of the matter is, they are highly complex businesses. Not to mention the fact that you must make each guest feel special and entertain them to the best of your ability, day in, day out.
OK … oh, I almost forgot to mention the research task. Er … your lecturer has given me a research task for you to do for next time. We would like you to choose a theme, a location, the design and an advertising campaign promoting a new theme park in your country. The campaign centres on the idea of fun and getting what you want when you want it. It needs to communicate three main ideas: the extreme rides, the family rides, and the entertainment. Your target group are visitors within a 90-minute drive time. Research which steps you should take, what the park should look like, and how you should communicate with your target visitor group. Good luck.
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Unit 7, Lesson 4, Exercise B 1.36
Extract 1 Now, as we know, what’s very important for the whole operation is the location of a theme park: it’s one of the most important decisions that companies have to make. I asked you to look at the case of Goldorama, who have decided to establish a new park near Bristol in the south-west of the UK. Why are they doing this? They already have parks near several other big cities in the UK, including London and Birmingham, which are not so far away from Bristol. Also, there are many medium-sized competitors, like zoos and water parks, in the area. So, let’s have some views.
Unit 7, Lesson 4, Exercises C and D 1.37
Extract 2 JACK: Well. I’d like to make two points. First, Bristol gives easy access to several popular tourist destinations.
LEILA: Can you expand on that, Jack?
JACK: Sure, Leila. Bristol is near Wales, and the south-west peninsula of the UK. LEILA: So?
JACK: So the point is that both areas are famous for their beaches and natural beauty. Visitors to the park will want to extend their stay and see more of the UK.
LECTURER: OK. So, what’s your second point, Jack?
JACK: I was coming to that! My second point is that Bristol is an important regional centre.
LEILA: Yes, but that’s true for London, too. Even more so. I don’t think it’s a good idea to be so far away from London.
MAJED: Well, I don’t agree with that, Leila, because from what I’ve read, there’s huge potential for tourism based in or near Bristol.
EVIE: Sorry, but who are we talking about, exactly? People from the UK, or people flying into the UK from abroad? Goldorama must see enough opportunities here to make this investment.
LEILA: Yes, we need to be clear here. It must be both. Anyway, I’d just like to say that according to what I’ve read, in the case of a service industry, convenience for customers is a major factor in location.
EVIE: In what way?
LEILA: Well, if you can bring your service nearer to the customer, you can charge a bit more. Also, you
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