If you’ve ever begged your parents for a trip to Disneyland, only to find yourself sliding down a waterslide two hours from home, you’ve likely visited a regional theme park.
And to the dismay of Disney-loving kids around the world, they are becoming increasingly common as consumers look to travel more and spend less, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
But these parks are working hard to make the trip worthwhile:
Six Flags Entertainment and Cedar Fair had an $8 billion merger in 2023, uniting their 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and nine combined resorts. In the 12 months leading up to the third quarter of 2023, the companies welcomed 48 million guests.
The British theme park operator Merlin Entertainments opened a Legoland park in New York in 2021 and is working on a Peppa Pig park in Dallas-Fort Worth, after opening one in Florida in 2022.
Great Wolf Lodge has 20 indoor water parks in the U.S. and Canada, with more planned. By 2025, about 90% of the U.S. population will be within a four-hour drive of a park. The chain has approximately 8,700 rooms, up from 4,300 in 2014, and the average occupancy rate is about 80% per year, up from 65% a decade ago.
Part of the success may be due to deep-pocketed backers: Blackstone Group acquired a 65% stake in the parent company Great Wolf Resorts in 2019 and holds a majority stake in Merlin Entertainments.
Demand Seems to Be Gaining Momentum
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions estimates a 2% increase in attendance at regional theme parks this summer, totaling over 300 million annual visits.
Smaller parks are also trying to keep up with the trend. Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho opened the “largest dueling water coaster” in the U.S. this month, and Funtown Splashtown USA in Maine added its first new attraction in 20 years last summer.
And, of course, the giant theme parks are not falling behind either! Universal opened a kids’ resort in the Dallas area, and Mattel is opening parks in Arizona and Kansas.
Source: The Hustle