What is the outlook for theme park attendance this summer?
Last week, I had the chance to ride two great new attractions [The Simpsons Ride, Toy Story Midway Mania] that many of you seem to be looking forward to riding as well. And this week brings a slew of new attraction openings, some of which we will be covering here on Theme Park Insider. It’s looking like a great summer for theme parks, right? Well…. There’s this little hitch called a “recession” standing in the way. Stock market guru Warren Buffett said that we are already there. With gas at more than $4 a gallon for 89 octane at the station down my street, many U.S. families won’t be able to afford as expensive a summer vacation as they might have in the past. The tourism business is very sensitive to the nation’s economic health. You can substitute cheaper food when prices go up and incomes do down, but you can’t quit eating. You still need to pay mortgage or rent. But you can ditch the summer vacation. That would mean fewer trips to theme parks around the country. In reality, most
