SeaWorld leaving Six Flags Fiesta Texas in Shamu's wake
The results are in and it wasn't close. In 2005, Shamu helped attract hundreds of thousands more visitors to SeaWorld San Antonio than Mr. Six did to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
That disparity in attendance here is one example of why a new Six Flags management team is scrambling to give its parks the broader family-friendly appeal SeaWorld and other competitors have captured.
International Theme Park Services Inc. President Dennis Speigel is one of the industry experts who believes changes are overdue at Six Flags. Speigel says the company was once "the icon of the industry" but that it has "lost its luster."
It may be losing some ground, too -- at least in San Antonio.
Two years ago, SeaWorld San Antonio and Fiesta Texas shared the 36th spot in Amusement Business' ranking of the top 50 theme parks in the nation based on attendance. But much has changed over the last 48 months.
According to new turnstile figures provided by Amusement Business and Economics Research Associates (ERA), SeaWorld San Antonio moved up to the 30th spot in 2005. Fiesta Texas, headed in an opposite direction -- dropping to 39th.
A record 2.1 million people visited SeaWorld San Antonio in 2005 -- an impressive 17.3 percent more than in 2004. That increase was second highest among the nation's top 50 parks.
Fiesta Texas increased its park attendance by 3 percent in 2005. But its 1.4 million visitor count falls far short of SeaWorld San Antonio's turnstile numbers. It's also well below the nearly 6 percent bump in attendance registered by Six Flags parks overall last year.
RepositioningMore than 176 million people visited the nation's theme parks in 2005. That's 4.2 percent more than the number who passed through the gates in 2004.
"It was a year in which the industry fired on all cylinders thanks to the economy, real estate values, capital expenditures and good weather," ERA Senior Vice President John Robinett told industry experts recently.
Six Flags' new president and CEO, Mark Shapiro, has been critical of the direction prior management was taking the company's parks in recent years. Among the problems Shapiro has promised to address is a Six Flags culture that was heavy on thrill rides and light on more family oriented attractions.
That's changing. For starters, new management is creating an entertainment and marketing department that will be headed by a number of entertainment industry veterans, including former ESPN executive Mike Antinoro.
"Our mission," Shapiro says, "is to surround the best rides in the world with entertainment from the fields of music, theater, sports, film and television. We want to be about more than rides.
"Six Flags must be about a wider, more fulfilling experience," Shapiro adds.
At the same time, Six Flags has decided to put its multimillion-dollar ad agency contract under review. That move has heightened industry speculation that Six Flags may be looking to end its relationship with the elder Mr. Six character that has been used to market its parks.
One thing Shapiro says he does want to see is a recharged relationship with Looney Tunes and DC Comics characters.
Making a splashFiesta Texas drew roughly 700,000 fewer visitors in 2005 than SeaWorld San Antonio, and nearly 900,000 fewer than Six Flags Over Texas, which is located in Arlington.
The San Antonio Six Flags property did see its turnstiles flip some 112,000 more times than those at Astroworld in 2005. But Astroworld got no help from previous Six Flags bosses, when they announced in September that the Houston park would be permanently shuttered at the end of the 2005 season.
Fiesta Texas is wasting no time in seeking a larger slice of the family-oriented market. Officials there announced on Jan. 17 an expansion and improvements plan for one of the park's major attractions -- Armadillo Beach Waterpark. The plan calls for a new name and new water rides, along with some aesthetic enhancements.
But SeaWorld has some tricks up its sleeves, too. One of them is a revamped show featuring the theme park's star attraction -- Shamu.
Paul Serff, president of the Texas Travel Industry Association, says Fiesta Texas is "a great park with a great reputation." He says it could get an attendance boost from the closing of Astroworld.
At least one industry source familiar with both parks, however, says any such boost may be marginal at best because so much of Astroworld's attendance was of the local passholder variety.
One thing that a number of industry officials do agree on is that the cost of filling a gas tank could have an important impact on theme park attendance in many markets.
"Had it not been for high gas prices," Robinett explains, "it (overall 2005 theme park industry performance) would have been even stronger."
In March, AAA Texas indicated in its Monthly Fuel Gauge Report that Texas had recorded the highest monthly average price for self-serve regular gas ever at $1.95 per gallon. One month later, the Lone Star State set a new record at nearly $2.16 per gallon.
In September, those prices finally began to stabilize somewhat after inching toward the $3 per gallon mark. They have since dropped sharply but have begun to rise again in recent weeks.
Source : San Antonio Business Journal
De l’affichage de la déclaration d’amour sur les écrans géants du Stade de France au parchemin remis par un Prince dans les méandres d’une forêt enchantée, en passant par la calligraphie de la demande en mariage sur les ailes d’un avion, la statue de cire de Valentin prenant vie au Musée Grévin, et l’immense message dessiné dans les jardins d’un Château de prestige et visible depuis hélicoptère, quarante expériences scénarisées sont à disposition de celui ou celle dont le cœur chavire.
À chaque expérience ApoteoSurprise, un véhicule d’exception – Bentley, Rolls Royce, Jaguar – accueille le couple d’amoureux au seuil de son domicile ou de son hôtel pour l’acheminer vers une destination secrète. L’une des deux personnes, bien entendu, ignore tout de l’extraordinaire surprise qui l’attend. Le scénario subtil et délicieux est alors déployé progressivement, avec, pour apothéose, l’inattendue et spectaculaire déclaration.
Fondée par deux ingénieurs de 29 et 45 ans, ApoteoSurprise s’adresse plus particulièrement aux couples d’amoureux de passage à Paris, première destination touristique mondiale, et Capitale de la romance et du romantisme.
La demande en mariage, bien que constituant l'un des plus importants et précieux instants d'une vie, n'a jusqu'à présent pas fait l'objet de considération économique créative et structurée. Avec ApoteoSurprise, elle trouve aujourd'hui ses véritables lettres de tendresse.
Source : Communiqué de Presse
$100m resort and theme park planned for the Coast
By GORDON CLARK PLANS have been unveiled for a $100 million Wet ¡¦n¡¦ Wild-style water theme park and resort on 66ha on Caloundra Road, opposite Corbould Park Racecourse.
As well as world-class indoor and outdoor rides and pools, the complex will have provision for 650 caravan sites, 300 Balinese-style ¡§beach shacks¡¨, apartments, a conference centre, restaurants, day spa, beach-culture museum, tennis ranch and clubhouse, golf driving range, mini golf and a pet motel. None of the accommodation would be for permanent occupancy.
Shuttle buses would be provided to destinations such as Australia Zoo, Caloundra and Mooloolaba.
The proposed complex, to be called Adventura, is the brainchild of a consortium led by Caloundra hospitality industry identity James Stewart and businessman Troy Morrow.
Warner Village Theme Parks ¡V owner and operator of parks on the Gold Coast, including Wet ¡¦n¡¦ Wild ¡V could also become ƒsinvolved.
The business partners, who already control more than $50 million of assets in the tourism and hospitality industry, said the project could provide an economic benefit to the Coast of $131 million and create 574 jobs during construction.
Once operational, the annual economic benefit is expected to be $73.4 million, with 126 full-time equivalent jobs.
The backers said Warner Village had originally been keen on the project as an operator, but was yet to fully commit.
A Warner spokesperson said the company could not comment, but Mr Stewart said: ¡§If we continue discussions with them, it would be on the basis of a joint venture.¡¨
He also said Adventura would proceed irrespective of any Warner involvement, adding he believed the biggest hurdle would be having the land rezoned by the State Government.
The site is zoned Regional Landscape and Rural Production in the South-East Queensland Regional Plan, ruling the development out at present.
However, Mr Morrow said: ¡§We¡¦re happy to be outside the urban footprint, because if we were inside it, the land would be too valuable for a theme-park resort and we¡¦d be creating a residential subdivision instead.¡¨
Mr Morrow said it was hoped a material change-of-use application would be lodged with Caloundra Council next month.
¡§We¡¦ve done an economic report and an ecological report and a traffic study, and hydraulic modelling is being done now.
¡§We¡¦ll lodge the application, lobby council to refer it positively to the Office of Urban Management, and then lobby the OUM.¡¨
Mr Stewart, whose grandfather built Caloundra¡¦s first hotel, the Francis in Shelley Beach, as well as the Caloundra Hotel and Perle Hotel, said resorts with water parks were the fastest-growing tourism segment in the United States.
He said the caravanning and recreation vehicle sector in Australia was also growing rapidly, adding he had no doubt a facility like Adventura was warranted in this region.
¡§The question is: Will the relevant authorities help us or hinder us?¡¨ he said.
Neckenmarkt. Die 1700-Einwohner-Gemeinde Neckenmarkt im burgenländischen Weinbaugebiet Blaufränkisch-Land will bis zum Frühjahr 2008 zum Zentrum des Wein-Tourismus in Österreich werden. Den Anstoß soll ein einzigartiges Großprojekt liefern: Für 76 Millionen Euro wird eine ausländische Investorengruppe unter Federführung eines Österreichers die Wein-Erlebniswelt "Aquavinum" errichten.
Der Baubeginn könnte im Herbst 2006 erfolgen, im Endausbau - das ist allerdings noch Zukunftsmusik - ist gar von einem Investitionsvolumen von 320 Millionen Euro die Rede. "Die Entscheidung über den Startschuss fällt im Februar oder im März", sagt Bauherr und Geschäftsmann Christian Preisinger, der zuvor die Firma "tvp energy" aufgebaut, von Tirol nach Neckenmarkt übersiedelt ist und diese vor einigen Monaten verlassen hat.
Über seine ausländischen Geschäftspartner will er vorerst nichts verraten, allerdings sei deren Interesse an dem Projekt hoch. Dass kurzfristig noch jemand abspringen könnte, glaubt er nicht. "Die Zusage der Finanzierung ist nur noch ein bürokratischer Akt."
Zentraler Dreh- und Angelpunkt des Projekts, das bis Herbst 2008 fertig gestellt sein soll, ist eine Erlebniswelt, die die 1000-jährige Geschichte des Weinbaus im Blaufränkisch-Land darstellt. Mit Multimedia-Unterstützung sollen die Besucher durch die verschiedenen Zeitzonen reisen und so die Vergangenheit des Weins erleben. Zahlreiche weitere Einrichtungen sind geplant: Ein Hotel mit Bungalow-Anlage (600 Betten), ein Kongresszentrum, eine Vinothek, ein Automaten-Casino, ein Freizeitpark, eine Shopping-Mall und mehrere Gastronomie-Betriebe. "Für die Restaurants stehen wir mit einigen interessanten Betreibern in Verhandlungen", sagt Preisinger. Der Golfplatz im benachbarten Ritzing wird vermutlich noch dieses Jahr fertig gestellt.
Hauptzielgruppe sind an Wein interessierte Tagesgäste und Familien. Insgesamt rechnen die Aquavinum-Betreiber mit 15.000 Gästen im Monat. Reisinger: "Im Wein-Tourismus liegt noch viel Potenzial. Da ist ein riesiger Zukunftsmarkt im Erwachen." "Bisher hatten wir das Problem, dass wir nicht über die notwendigen Strukturen verfügten, um Gäste länger als zwei oder drei Tage im Ort zu halten", sagt Franz Heincz, Vizebürgermeister von Neckenmarkt. Mit kleinen und mittelgroßen Projekte könnte man heute keinen Gast mehr aus der Reserve locken, da müsse schon "etwas Großartiges" her.
Natürlich, so Heincz, gebe es bei einem Vorhaben dieser Größenordnung eine gewisse Skepsis in der Bevölkerung. "Die meisten stehen aber hinter dem Projekt." Nicht zuletzt deshalb, weil bei einer Umsetzung Dutzende neue Arbeitsplätze entstehen würden.
Läuft alles glatt, kann Preisinger mit großzügigen Förderungen von Land und Gemeinde rechnen. Von der Regierung aus Eisenstadt erwartet er sich einen Anteil von 25 Prozent, die Gemeinde wird vermutlich die Infrastruktur (Kanal, Wasser, Strom, Verkehrsanbindung) zur Verfügung stellen.
Thomas Haller, Leiter der Studiengänge Weinmarketing und Weinmanagement an der FH Burgenland, ist noch skeptisch. "Wein-Tourismus ist noch ein sehr kleiner Markt", so der Experte. Und ob ein derartiges Konzept auch den Weinabsatz einer Region nachhaltig beeinflussen könne, darüber gebe es noch keine Studien. Dass man mit Innovationskraft auf diesem Sektor erfolgreich sein kann, hätte man aber in Kalifornien bereits bewiesen. "Francis Ford Coppola vermarktet mit Tourismus-Angeboten seinen Wein sehr offensiv und erlebnisorientiert." Ein Konzept, das auch in Österreich aufgehen könnte.
Source : Die Presse
Carlsbad park to get pirate-themed section
oping to attract a slew of new visitors, Legoland is spending $10 million to add a pirate-themed section to its Carlsbad amusement park.
The expansion, which will add four new water attractions, including two rides, is the first move by new Legoland owner the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm that bought a 70 percent stake in the park and the three other Legoland properties last year for $460 million.
 Pirate Shores will feature two new rides and two new play areas.
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Nick Varney, Merlin's chief executive, said the expansion, which is scheduled to open this summer, is proof of the company's commitment to Legoland.
"This investment will give it another kick forward," Varney said.
The new Pirate Shores, as the expansion is named, will be built around a 4-D movie attraction titled "Spellbreaker." It will include two new rides: Splash Battle, which will feature pirate ships equipped with water cannons that allow passengers to shoot water at other boats and spectators, and Treasure Falls, a mini log ride. There also will be two new water-play areas: Swabbies Deck, aimed at younger visitors, and Soak-N-Sail, which will look like a shipwreck.
John Jakobsen, president and general manager of Legoland, said Pirate Shores is the largest single expansion in the park's relatively short history. The park, which is known for its elaborate structures built entirely of Lego plastic bricks, is targeted at families with children 12 and under.
In the past two years combined, Legoland spent about $11 million on new attractions. The park had been hampered by the financial troubles of its former owner Lego Co., the legendary Danish toy maker. Lego Co. decided to sell its four Legoland properties in the fall of 2004 in order to concentrate on its core toy business.
New attractions are key to a theme park's success because competition in the industry is so fierce, said Mike Barnes, executive editor at Amusement Business, a trade publication for the amusement-park industry.
"All these guys have to expand to get more people in there," Barnes said.
Not only do amusement parks have to compete with each other, they also must battle movie theaters and sporting events for consumers' attention and cash.
While Legoland said yesterday that it recorded strong attendance last year with a 2 percent increase in visitors, it did not keep pace with other theme parks.
According to Amusement Business, for 2005, the top 50 amusement parks increased attendance by 4.2 percent over the previous year. The publication estimated that Legoland's attendance was about 1.43 million visitors, making it the 40th-most popular theme park.
Disneyland, which had an aggressive advertising campaign to promote its 50th anniversary, had an increase of 8.5 percent, while San Diego's SeaWorld had 4.1 million visitors, a 2.5 percent increase.
Varney said the key to Legoland's future success is the development of additional hotels to make the Carlsbad area a destination in and of itself. While a 700-suite resort by local developer Grand Pacific Resorts is under construction just north of the theme park, with its own entrance to the park, Varney said his company is interested in perhaps partnering with another company to create a Legoland-themed hotel as well.
Barnes said that strategy would make sense and pointed to the large number of hotels that surround places such as Disneyland.
"When you have a hotels near the property, it just extends the amount of time you spend there," he said.
Source : Union Tribune
SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA'S HURRICANE HARBOR WATER PARK TO ADD GIANT "TORNADO" ATTRACTION IN 2006
Award Winning Water Thrill Ride will Touch Down Spring 2006 in Gurnee, IL
Gurnee, IL - Just one year after the launch of the brand new Caribbean themed water park, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Great America has announced that it will be adding yet another thrilling and unique family water slide experience to its already astonishing collection of water attractions. This spring, the award-winning giant Tornado slide will take the Midwest's most popular water park by storm.
"This extreme tubing experience is the perfect addition for Six Flags Hurricane Harbor," said Ron Sevart, vice president and general manager for Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. "Tornado combines traditional and nontraditional water park elements with the height and speed of a theme park thrill ride. It will quickly become a favorite with our park guests."
Thrill seekers prepare to ride the ultimate storm by boarding a four passenger cloverleaf-shaped raft 75 feet in the air. The adventure begins as guests are thrust down a 132-foot long tunnel by more than 5,000 gallons of water. Riders are then sent whirling and spinning back and forth, from side to side into a 60-foot wide giant funnel. After weathering the turbulence, riders are sent through the eye of the storm as they splash through a waterfall and into a refreshing catch pool below.
"We pride ourselves on bringing the most exciting and innovative attractions to our parks and Tornado is one of the best water experiences out there," Sevart said. "Its enormous size and unique shape has garnered quite the buzz in the water park industry and is sure to spark interest with Six Flags Hurricane Harbor guests. Perhaps the best part of the ride is enjoying it with your family and friends.
Tornado's massive blue and yellow checked funnel will easily be seen from I-94/I-294 in Gurnee, IL towering high above the Castaway Creek adventure river.
This new attraction joins a long list of high-energy water adventures at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, which is included free with Six Flags Great America theme park admission. Dozens of speed, tube and mat slides, a gigantic wave pool and the world's largest interactive water playground for the families are located in the massive water park, which opened in 2005. Tornado has received some of the amusement industry's top awards including the Golden Ticket Award for Best Water Park Ride and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Best New Product Award in the Water Park Category.
Source : Communiqué de Presse
Design : Hitmaaan
