Theme Park Investments: How to Beat the Average - A Case Study from the Netherlands
Authors: Pieter C. M. Cornelis
Abstract:
(European) theme parks invest approximately 10 percent of their yearly turnover into new rides and park improvements. Without these investments these parks assume not to be a very competitive and appealing daytrip for their target audiences. However, the impact of investments in attracting new visitors is not well-known and seems to differ dramatically between parks. This paper presents a case study from the Netherlands in which a small amusement park applied a suggested, not yet proven, investment method. The results of the investment are discussed in (a) the form of return on investment and (b) the success of the predictions with regard to this investment. Suggestions for future research are presented.
Keywords: Entertainment industry, innovation, investments, theme parks.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1092828
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 4850References:
[1] IAAPA (2013), What's New for 2013 at European Parks and Attractions,http://www.iaapa.org/news/newsroom/news-articles/what's-new-for-2013-at-european-parks-and-attractions#sthash.ne3OQCGf.dpuf
[2] LDP (2013), Fortune telling:How to Measure and predict the Impact of New Attractions , presentation during EAS 2013, (September 28th, Paris)
[3] Price, H. B. (2003). Walt's revolution by the numbers. Orlando: Ripley Entertainment inc.
[4] Cornelis, P.C.M. (2011), Attraction accountability: Predicting the unpredictable effects of theme park investments?!, Breda: NRIT Media
[5] Hjalager, A-M. (2010), a review of innovation research in tourism, Tourism Management, 31 (1), 1-12
[6] Faché, W. (2000), Methodologies for innovation and improvement of services in tourism, Managing Service Quality, 10 (6), 356-366
[7] Hall, C.M. & Williams, A.M. (2008), Tourism and Innovation, London: Routledge
[8] Cornelis, P.C.M. (2010a), How to successfully invest in the theme park industry?, Presentation of PhD results, during Dutch Association of Leading Visitor Attractions annual member meeting, Venlo: 2nd October 2010.
[9] Milman, A. (2009), Evaluating the guest experience at theme parks: an empirical investigation of key attributes,International Journal of Tourism Research, 11: 373-387
[10] Milman, A., Li, X., Wang, Y., & Yu, Q. (2012), Examining the guest experience in themed amusement parks: Preliminary evidence from China, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 18: 313-325
[11] Ap, J. (2003), An assessment of theme park development in China. In: Lew AA, Yu L, Ap J, et al. (eds), Tourism in China, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 195-214
[12] Anton Clavé, S. (2007), The global theme park industry, Cambridge, MA: CABI
[13] Pikkemaat, B. &Schuckert, M. (2007), Success factors of theme parks – an explorative study, Tourism, 55 (2): 197-208
[14] Swarbrooke, J. (2002). The development and management of visitor attractions (2nd ed.). Oxford; Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
[15] Paap, R., &Franses, P. H. (2000). A Dynamic Multinomial Probit Model for Brand Choice with Different Long-Run and Short-Run effects of Marketing-Mix Variables. Journal of Applied Economics, 15 (November/December), 717-744.
[16] Joo, H.H., Kang, H-G. & Moon, J.J. (2014), The effect of rain on the decision to visit a theme park, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 19 (1) : 61 – 85
[17] Cornelis, P.C.M. (2010b), Achieving Attraction Accountability through an Attraction Response Matrix, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27 (4), 361-382
[18] LDP (2011), Toverland amusement park benchmarking, London: internal document Toverland
[19] Poiesz, T. B. C., &Raaij, W. F. v. (2002). Synergetische marketing: een visie op oorzaken en gevolgen van veranderend consumentengedrag. Amsterdam
[etc.]: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
[20] Heskett, J. L., Sasser, W. E., & Schlesinger, L. A. (1997). The Service Profit Chain. New York: The Free Press.
[21] Geissler, G.L. & Rucks, C.T. (2011), The overall theme park experience: a visitor satisfaction tracking study, Journal of vacation Marketing, 17 (2), 127-138
[22] Ryan, C., Shuo, Y. S. S., &Huan, T. C. (2010). Theme parks and a structural equation model of determinants of visitor satisfaction—JanfusanFancyworld, Taiwan. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 16(3), 185-199.
[23] Trischler, J. &Zehrer, A. (2012), Service design: suggesting a qualitative multistep approach for analyzing and examining theme park experiences, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 18 (1), 57-71
[24] Tuan, Y.F. (1998), Escapism, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press
[25] Lukas, S.A., The immersive worlds handbook: designing theme parks and consumer spaces, London: Focal Press
[26] Ambler, T. (2003), Marketing and the Bottom Line, FT: Prentice Hall, London.
[27] IAAPA (2012), Finance in the attractions industry, Brussels: IAAPA emerging leaders institute
[28] Vogel, H. L. (2011). Entertainment industry economics. Cambridge University Press.
[29] Cornelis, P.C.M. (2010c), A management perspective on the impact of new attractions, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 17 (2), 151-162
[30] Morley, C. (2009), Dynamics in the specification of tourism demand models, Tourism Economics, 15 (1), 23-39
[31] Hesmondhalgh, D. (2007). The Cultural Industries (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
[32] Wanhill, S. (2008). Economic aspects of developing theme parks. In A. Fyall, B. Garrod, A. Leask& S. Wanhill (Eds.), Managing Visitor Attractions: New Directions (2nd ed., pp. 59-79). Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann.
[33] Kemperman, A. D. A. M., Joh, C., &Timmermans, H. J. P. (2004). Comparing first-time and repeat visitors’ activity patterns in a tourism environment. In G. I. Crouch, R. R. Perdue, H. J. P. Timmermans& M. Uysal (Eds.), Consumer psychology of tourism, hospitality and leisure (Vol. 3, pp. 103-119). Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing