US theme parks are seeing growth again and with innovation in key areas, they could appeal to a wider clientele, according to new research. Mintel’s Mike Gallinari makes sense of the numbers
Universal is tapping into gaming IPs with the launch of Super Nintendo World / photo: universal theme parks & resorts
It’s been a rollercoaster few years, but the US theme park industry is broadly back on track against its pre-pandemic growth trajectory, having generated an estimated US$22.9bn in revenue in 2022.
As parks reopened, sales rebounded from the pandemic decline, however, the recovery isn’t complete, as international travellers have yet to return in full. While only accounting for 10 to 20 per cent of guests, they tend to spend more than domestic guests on high-margin items; as a result, the full potential of theme park revenues is still waiting to be realised.
According to Mintel, year-on-year growth for theme park holidays is projected to be a little slower than in the years preceding the pandemic. The steadiness in growth, however, doesn’t mean the industry is without headwinds due to economic factors. Inflation continues to dog consumers, making them reconsider their discretionary spending.
THEME PARK HOLIDAYS Travel’s roaring rebound has brought about a reorganisation of holiday priorities, meaning theme park trips have been pushed down the list of desired options. So while theme park visitation has recovered in general, the rebound has come on the back of single-day visits, leaving multi-day trips with ground to make up.
Mintel’s consumer research confirms the challenges the industry faces. The reality is that for many, theme park holidays aren’t a top travel priority. Only 34 per cent of Americans say this would be one of their top five choices in the next year and in returning to travel, consumers are instead setting their sights on beach holidays and road trips.
Theme park visits are also considered a big undertaking by some. Among travellers considering this kind of holiday, 76 per cent say such trips are expensive and nearly half say they’re exhausting to plan, so making the experience more frictionless could help business.
THE OPPORTUNITIES Game-inspired attractions represent a largely unrealised IP at theme parks, which have historically been built on the back of movie properties, harking back to Disneyland’s leaning on its animated film characters.
Just as media has evolved in the years since that park’s opening in 1955, so too have media preferences. To this end, potential theme park vacationers say that video game IPs (39 per cent) are second only to movies (47 per cent) when it comes to seeing IP-inspired rides and attractions in parks. With relatively few video game IPs appearing in theme parks, there’s potential for partnerships, such as that being undertaken by Universal with its Super Nintendo World launches.
Prospective visitors were also asked about secondary spend. Fast pass/line skipping (56 per cent) took priority, followed by dining/drink deals (52 per cent) and early entry (44 per cent).
VISITOR PRIORITIES These responses show holidaymakers aren’t just concerned with moving through the park quickly; otherwise, early entry would hold more weight. Rather, they’re thinking about the quality of their visit. A park-affiliated travel provider that can provide for this will be more appealing to travellers.
Offering deals on fast passes or early entry could convince guests to choose to stay on-property, as opposed to in cheaper, unaffiliated hotels. The same can be said for offering in-park dining credits, which can be appealing given that over half (58 per cent) of the sample say they’d rather eat at the park than at an affiliated hotel.
All these changes will help parks to increasingly welcome back greater numbers of theme park travellers as the market continues to strengthen.
Mintel’s Mike Gallinari
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
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People: Simon Daniels
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People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
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How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
US theme parks are seeing growth again and with innovation in key areas, they could appeal to a wider clientele, according to new research. Mintel’s Mike Gallinari makes sense of the numbers
Universal is tapping into gaming IPs with the launch of Super Nintendo World / photo: universal theme parks & resorts
It’s been a rollercoaster few years, but the US theme park industry is broadly back on track against its pre-pandemic growth trajectory, having generated an estimated US$22.9bn in revenue in 2022.
As parks reopened, sales rebounded from the pandemic decline, however, the recovery isn’t complete, as international travellers have yet to return in full. While only accounting for 10 to 20 per cent of guests, they tend to spend more than domestic guests on high-margin items; as a result, the full potential of theme park revenues is still waiting to be realised.
According to Mintel, year-on-year growth for theme park holidays is projected to be a little slower than in the years preceding the pandemic. The steadiness in growth, however, doesn’t mean the industry is without headwinds due to economic factors. Inflation continues to dog consumers, making them reconsider their discretionary spending.
THEME PARK HOLIDAYS Travel’s roaring rebound has brought about a reorganisation of holiday priorities, meaning theme park trips have been pushed down the list of desired options. So while theme park visitation has recovered in general, the rebound has come on the back of single-day visits, leaving multi-day trips with ground to make up.
Mintel’s consumer research confirms the challenges the industry faces. The reality is that for many, theme park holidays aren’t a top travel priority. Only 34 per cent of Americans say this would be one of their top five choices in the next year and in returning to travel, consumers are instead setting their sights on beach holidays and road trips.
Theme park visits are also considered a big undertaking by some. Among travellers considering this kind of holiday, 76 per cent say such trips are expensive and nearly half say they’re exhausting to plan, so making the experience more frictionless could help business.
THE OPPORTUNITIES Game-inspired attractions represent a largely unrealised IP at theme parks, which have historically been built on the back of movie properties, harking back to Disneyland’s leaning on its animated film characters.
Just as media has evolved in the years since that park’s opening in 1955, so too have media preferences. To this end, potential theme park vacationers say that video game IPs (39 per cent) are second only to movies (47 per cent) when it comes to seeing IP-inspired rides and attractions in parks. With relatively few video game IPs appearing in theme parks, there’s potential for partnerships, such as that being undertaken by Universal with its Super Nintendo World launches.
Prospective visitors were also asked about secondary spend. Fast pass/line skipping (56 per cent) took priority, followed by dining/drink deals (52 per cent) and early entry (44 per cent).
VISITOR PRIORITIES These responses show holidaymakers aren’t just concerned with moving through the park quickly; otherwise, early entry would hold more weight. Rather, they’re thinking about the quality of their visit. A park-affiliated travel provider that can provide for this will be more appealing to travellers.
Offering deals on fast passes or early entry could convince guests to choose to stay on-property, as opposed to in cheaper, unaffiliated hotels. The same can be said for offering in-park dining credits, which can be appealing given that over half (58 per cent) of the sample say they’d rather eat at the park than at an affiliated hotel.
All these changes will help parks to increasingly welcome back greater numbers of theme park travellers as the market continues to strengthen.
Mintel’s Mike Gallinari
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
