Moving The Line: The Surprising Way Theme Parks Are Adding Value
http://entertainmentdesigner.com/news/theme-park-design-news/moving-the-line-the-surprising-way-theme-parks-are-adding-value/
Amusement Park and Attractions Industry Statistic
http://www.iaapa.org/resources/by-park-type/amusement-parks-and-attractions/industry-statistics
קטגוריות בתעשיית הפארק שעששועים
Top 25 Theme Parks
TOP 20 MUSEUMS
WORLDWIDE
TOP 10 AMUSEMENT/THEME PARKS
LATIN AMERICA
Types of theme park
Core product
It is the intangible benefits that the customer is really buying. For instance, the core
product you gain from visiting a historic museum is the opportunity to learn. People
visiting a world cultural heritage site are looking for a feeling of nostalgia and
understanding of the site’s background and history. Visitors going to a theme park may
be expecting the excitement of the rides or an opportunity for a family gathering.
Tangible product
It is the physical object we buy, including the features, design, quality and packaging
of the product. The tangible elements of a visit to a museum include the building itself,
the exhibits, the sound and light effects, the design of the place and the guide services.
For a theme park, the tangible elements include the park itself, the environment, rides,
catering outlets, souvenir shops and performances.
Augmented product
This includes all the additional services and benefits that enhance the customer’s
consumption experience. They are not the core elements that the customer is buying,
but they help to make the experience more satisfying and enjoyable. Augmented
products can be tangible or intangible, such as shuttle bus services to and from an
attraction, facilities for the disabled, a baby stroller renting service, lockers etc.
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The visitor attraction market I – Motivations
Motivations
Theme parks
A survey conducted by Ap and Ho in 2001 revealed the following top three motivators
for guests visiting a theme park:
- Escape from the daily routine
• Gain a better appreciation of nature
• Rest and relaxation
Museums
Education
• Nostalgia
• Research
• Easily accessible
Opera
Prestige
• Enjoy music
• The extraordinary nature of the event
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The visitor attraction market II - Determinants
Determinants are further divided into two groups:
• External determinants
Personal determinants
These are personal factors such as one’s circumstances, past experience, knowledge
and awareness about the attraction, and the perceptions of the attraction. For example,
if one thinks that the cost for a family of four to visit a theme park (ie entrance fee,
transportation, food and souvenirs) is too expensive, one is likely to substitute and
choose an attraction that costs less to visit such as another park or the local museum.
Examples of personal determinants include:
Interest and hobbies
• Health condition
• Physical ability
• Budget limitations
• Family commitments
• Past experience in visiting similar types of attraction
• Knowledge of the attraction product (eg types of rides, activities etc.)
External determinants
These are external factors influencing a person’s visit to an attraction. You may not
purchase a ticket for a show or the opera because your friends may have made some
negative comments about the show.
People may also cancel their visit to a theme park because of bad weather. Attraction
management should therefore find out what hinders customers from visiting their
attraction and try to remove any barriers by providing incentives such as offering a
discount, providing shuttle bus services etc. Examples of external determinants
include:
Word-of-mouth recommendation
• Negative publicity or news about the attraction
• Lack of accessibility
• Weather
• Entrance fee and associated costs (ie transportation, food and souvenirs)
The visitor attraction market III – Important
features
Most important features
Visitors going to an attraction are expecting an enjoyable experience with their friends
and relatives. What they are looking for includes not only the activities but also other
attributes of the attraction. There are several important features that were found to be
important for theme park visitors. In 1997 and 2008 Ap conducted surveys of guests at
a theme park and found that the most important features of the park, in order of priority,
were:
(1) Cleanliness of the park
(2) Nice scenery/surroundings
(3) Control of lines/queues
(4) Fun atmosphere
(5) Shows
Factors influencing decisions to visit a theme park
Although people may be aware of and attracted to a theme park, they may not visit for
several reasons. Some factors are very important, and include:
Weather
• Preference for the type of park
• Children’s desire to visit the park
• Cost
• Perceived crowdedness of the site
• Distance
• Availability, type and cost of on-site accommodation
Marketers need to understand how these factors affect the visitors’ decision to visit a
park and address them in the management and operations of the park
The visitor attraction market IV –
Segmentation
There are four basic methods to segment the market, namely: geographical,
demographic, psychographic and behavioural. By targeting one or more specific
market segment, attraction managers will be able to:
- Choose a proper location for the attraction
- • Develop on-site activities suitable for the target visitors
- • Develop an attractive pricing system
- • Tailor-make effective advertising and promotion programmes.
Geographical
This traditional method classifies the visitors according to the place where they live.
This is very much related to the catchment area in which the attraction is located.
Therefore, choosing a densely populated area as the location of a theme park can be
very important.
Demographic
This method classifies the visitors based upon their demographic characteristics such
as age, gender, income and education level. The information is useful for attraction
managers to design and provide suitable facilities and services for the visitor groups.
For example, many museums are designed for the seniors market and visitors with
higher levels of education, whereas theme parks with exciting thrill rides cater for the
youngsters.
It is recognised that children are the biggest potential market for amusement and theme
parks with every child attending a theme park worth, on average, at least three admissions. That is, for every child that visits a theme park, there will usually be two
adults (parents or grandparents) who will accompany that child to the park.
Psychographic
This method classifies the visitors based upon their relationship with a particular
product. For example, whether the visitor is a first-time user or the type of experience
the visitor is seeking (relaxing or exciting).
Others
There are some other methods that are specially applied to identify and understand the
attraction market. They include:
- Visitor composition – individuals, families or groups
- • Visit type and purpose – school parties, incentive groups
•
- Transportation mode – private car, coach, bus or rail
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Development of attractions and theme parks I
- Introduction
Types of development
Development of attractions can be divided into the following six different types.
1.Wholly new purpose-built attractions on site – eg Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong
Kong SAR.
2. New purpose-built attractions developed on sites that were previously used as
attractions – eg Legoland, UK, built on the site of the Windsor Safari Park
following decreased attendance.
3. Major new development at existing attractions designed to rejuvenate or enhance
the market appeal of the site – eg installing new rides in a theme park like the
introduction of ‘It’s a Small World’ at Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong SAR,
or introducing The Summit themed area at Ocean Park, Hong Kong SAR.
4. Improvement of facilities at existing attractions to enhance visitor satisfaction or
encourage secondary spending by visitors, such as the provision of new retail
outlets or themed catering at museums.
5. Creating new events or staging events that move from place to place over time in
a destination – eg 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
6. Organising events at an attraction to give visitors a variety of activities and
encourage repeat patronage – eg Halloween Bash and Summer Splash at Ocean
Park, Hong Kong SAR.
Agents of development
Different organisations have different motives to develop visitor attractions. There are
three main agents of attraction development.
1.Public sector
• Government
• Quasi non-governmental organisations
2.Private sector
- Multi-national organisations having interests in a number of industries, eg
Walt Disney Company with movies, media and parks
• Major leisure companies
• Developers who include leisure as part of mixed-use development
• Small and medium-sized private enterprises
• Individual entrepreneurs
3.Voluntary sector
- National bodies, eg National Trust
• Local charities or trusts covering a geographical area or related to a specific
theme, such as the Lord Wilson Trust, Hong Kong SAR
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Motivations for development
The above-mentioned agents engage in the development of attractions because of
different interests and due to various motives. These diverse interests and motives
guide the planning, development, management and operations of the attraction.
In general, the public sector is not motivated purely by profit-making, as it also has a
wider set of social responsibilities to the community. Some of these motives may
include:
- To conserve the cultural heritage assets of the area
• To provide recreation and leisure facilities for the community
• To educate the community on specific areas of interest such as cultural
heritage, science and technology, arts etc.
• To enhance the image of the city or country
• To facilitate urban development or re-generation
• To gain political advantage
The private sector, however, has clearer motives such as to:
• Enhance market share
• Diversify their products
• Achieve a particular rate of return
For the voluntary sector, involvement in attraction development may focus on
- Conserving nature or cultural resources
• Education for the community
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Development of attractions and theme parks
III – Feasibility
The feasibility study
No matter how interesting the idea is, building a visitor attraction involves
consideration of numerous aspects to ensure the viability of the development and hence
the operations of the attraction. So feasibility studies should be undertaken prior to the
development and construction of the project.
The general goal of a feasibility study is to assess the potential viability of the
proposed development idea before it is undertaken. There are three major aspects
which require careful consideration and therefore feasibility studies on these aspects
are usually required. They are:
- Site feasibility - site selection, location, size and area of land, and accessibility
etc.
- Market feasibility – appeal, attractiveness, potential visitor market etc.
- Financial feasibility – overall costs, revenue sources, pricing etc.
Site feasibility
- Proximity to major population
- Transport networks
- Number of attractions nearby
- The socio-economic profile of the catchment area
- The climate
- Availability of infrastructure and tourist facilities in the vicinity The cost, type and quality of land
- Financial assistance and incentives offered by government
- Building costs
- Labour relations and labour laws
Market feasibility
This refers to the potential of the visitor market for the attraction which is affected by
the site selected. There are three questions which attraction operators want to know.
Who will visit the site?
This is concerned with the interests and expectations of visitors. Major types of visitors
include:
- Domestic tourists
- Foreign tourists
- Day-trippers
- School groups
- Local residents
- Meetings, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) participants
There are two issues to consider when analysing potential visitors’ behaviour and
needs:
- The visitor profile – eg age, gender, income, family life cycle etc.
- The visitors’ purpose of visit and expectations – eg relaxation, excitement,
learning etc.
How many people will visit the attraction and where will they come from?
These two questions indicate that a number of factors determine the size of the visitor
market. They are:
- The population of the catchment area
- The number of visitors currently visiting the area
- The competitors in the area which attract similar market segments
- The scale and nature of the attraction itself
When will the visitors come?
It is important to match the demand with supply, ie manpower, carry capacity, facilities
and services etc. The following two dimensions have to be assessed, namely:
- Seasonality
- Number of visitors from the local area vs number of tourists
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Financial feasibility
Financial feasibility covers two elements, namely capital and revenue. Accuracy in
estimation is needed to determine the profitability of the attraction and how long it will
take to re-pay the capital costs.
Costs
- Capital – cost of land, infrastructure and construction
- Staffing – salaries and wages, benefits, MPF, staff development and training
- Administration – general, marketing and promotion costs
- Cost of goods – sold in retail and catering outlets
- Utilities – electricity, water, communications
- Insurance
- Maintenance
- Depreciation – to replace buildings, facilities and equipment
- Rates and taxes
- Finance charges – loans, interest payments etc.
Revenues
• Catering
• Merchandise
• Parking
• Other sources – franchises, concessions, venue hire, events, guided tours etc.
• External funding sources – grants, sponsorships, co-sponsorships etc.
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Development of attractions and theme parks
IV – Planning and design
What we plan and design
Developing an attraction requires meticulous attention to detail in the planning and
design of the attraction. Elements requiring attention include:
- Overall layout of the site and the location of the facilities, buildings and
structures
• Entrances and exits
• On-site transportation, eg monorail
• Design of open spaces
• The location and route of the on-site footpaths and roads
• Facilities, buildings and structures – size, form, appearance, colour and
materials
• Interior of facilities, buildings and structures – fittings and decoration
• Location, shape and design of signage, benches and chairs, lighting and litter
bins etc.
• Support facilities and services – car parks, restrooms, retail and catering
outlets etc
Why we plan and design
T
here are clearly a number of reasons for a detailed plan and design of the
above-mentioned elements.
To give clear guidance to the people who will manage the development of the
attraction project and build it
• To create the desired feeling and atmosphere for the attraction, especially one
which has adopted a particular theme
• To ensure the efficient and effective use of resources – money, manpower,
land etc.
• To obtain approval from the owner, developer, decision-makers (eg board of
directors, government etc.) and financial institutions
• To attract potential investors
Development of attractions and theme parks
V – Design objectives
Types of objective
As mentioned in Section 3.1, attractions may be developed by different agents and for
different reasons or motivations. The design should address these different needs.
Some of the common design objectives together with examples, or the rationale for the
respective elements in the design, include:
(a) Profit and income generation
A visually striking entrance – to create an inviting appeal and provide photo
taking opportunities etc.
• Efficient ticketing counters – to enable guests to purchase and enter the park
as quickly as possible
• The strategic and user-friendly location of revenue-generating units such as
the retail / souvenir shops, catering outlets, parking and function venues etc. –
to help maximise revenue opportunities
• An efficient and effective queuing system – to manage and control crowds and
facilitate movement within the park and to various rides and attractions
(b) Economy of operation
Good planning and design can ensure reduction of the following costs:
- Labour – design of the attraction facilities, retail and catering outlets, and
ticketing counters can be made to minimise the use of manpower
• Energy – use natural lighting and environment-friendly measures through the
design of the attraction or facility
• Merchandise stock – eg placing the cashier’s counter near the entrances to
the shops to prevent shop-lifting
(c) Flexibility
Reserved space for development of attractions, facilities and rides etc. – to
allow for future expansion as required
• The ability to reduce the scale of operations when needed for maintenance or emergency purposes etc. – allow for on-going operations by sectioning off
parts of the park or attraction if necessary.
• The ability to temporarily change the use of attractions – eg launching or
holding a special event
(d) Safety and security
Location of dangerous machinery – located away or sectioned off from the
guests and common staff working areas
• Fire exits – provided in clearly visible locations
• On-site traffic and waterways – to provide accessibility to various areas and
attractions in the park
• Stairs and footpaths – to provide clear, safe and easy access to various areas
and attractions in the park
• Car park security system – to provide security for guest and staff vehicles
• Lockers – for guest convenience and safekeeping of belongings
(e) All-weather operations
• Covered walkways
• Provision of sheltered spaces in waiting or queuing areas
• Provision of air-conditioning as required
(f) User friendliness
• Clear signage and signposting.
• Convenient location of entrances, exits and car parks.
• Strategic location of information counters and information boards etc.
• Strategic and convenient location of restrooms and lockers
• Provision of wide walkways and routes which are easy to follow
(g) Welcoming visitors with special needs
• Provision of passages and lifts for wheelchairs
• Graphic displays for visitors with hearing difficulties
• Use of sounds, smell and touch for visually-impaired visitors
• Provision of facilities for changing babies and heating bottles
(h) Aesthetic appeal
Successful attractions are those that are inviting and have aesthetic appeal to visitors
based on:
• Size
• Form
• Colour
• Materials.
(i) Environmental friendliness
• An appropriate scale and size so that it blends in with surrounding buildings
and structures
• Selection of materials that create the appearance of the attraction to provide
the intended atmosphere in an environmentally-friendly manner
• Suitable and safe access to the site
• High quality landscaping to create a relaxing atmosphere
• Measures to reduce noise generated by the attraction
• Reduce the effect of the attraction on air and water quality
