Travel Help And Advice

Amusement Parks Need Debt Relief and Customers

Amusement Parks in tough times

Amusement parks are looking for debt relief by bringing in new customers. Both Disney and Universal theme parks are facing a tough time. They know that to get back on track, they need new customers, as the bottom line here is cash. These, and a lot of smaller amusement parks, are pursuing deep discounts on admission prices and rides, in order to attract customers.

This puts operators in a position where they have to have the most competitive prices they can reasonably offer. “This is the most aggressive year that I’ve ever seen for discounting in the theme park industry,” stated Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider web site. The recession has driven many families to cutting out their vacation plans altogether, opting for close-to-home activities or visiting and staying with relatives.

Discounts are huge

For the first time, Disneyland, Universal Studios and many Six Flags parks are digging deep to bring their prices down. Besides the prices of admission, they are discounting items and rides inside the park.

Disneyland is offering three-day pass for just $ 99. Many of the Six Flags parks are offering buy-one-get-one-free ticketing. Universal Studios will be offering a $ 60 six-month pass to people living in the area. This is the first time parks are offering discounts beyond normal “slow season” prices, normally only offered during late fall and early spring.

Staycationers

A trendy term in the amusement park industry is “staycationers.” The term staycationer means someone who already lives close to a theme park. Parks are striving to attract these visitors in, as they seem to be more receptive to advertising.

A spokesperson for Disneyland, Haley Marks, said, “It’s unrealistic to think families will drive hundreds of miles to Disneyland anymore. At least, not in a recession. … So our marketing and advertising is focusing on the families already in the area. We are trying to bring them in to keep our finances flowing, even though it’s at a much slower rate.”

That seems to be the philosophy behind wooing staycationers into parks. The numbers might be down, but people are still going. For parks to keep open and find debt relief, they need revenue to come in, regardless of how slow they are.

The future of amusement parks

Like businesses in all industries, amusement parks are going through a change. Smaller parks are less able to survive a drought of customers, and are closing. Mid-sized parks are fighting for their lives. Large parks are the only ones with enough capital to be creative with marketing and advertising, hoping to bring in a new customer base that will carry them through the recession.

Mark Kane, park president of a Six Flags park stated, “The whole world is on sale, and we are emphasizing our sensitivity to the economy and trying to offer more deals … not only at the gate but throughout the park.”

Take advantage of savings

This is a great time for consumers who are looking for debt relief to still find fun vacations. Eliot Sekuler, the Universal Studios Executive, said “I can’t remember a time when we really worked harder to come up with new things for people to come see and more value to make it more affordable.” Consensus is that the discounting will continue until the market has recovered. Sekuler added, “Parks are competitive and will not give up their market shares. We will fight for customers for as long as it takes.”