New Thrills, and Risk, for Theme Parks
The thrill is back.
With faster, scarier rides, Southern California theme parks are betting visitors will be too.
The region's amusement park industry, after suffering several years of declining attendance, is gearing up for the summer tourist season by opening new roller coaster attractions, some with elaborate special effects. Among the offerings: a jerky ride from atop a 183-foot-tall "haunted" hotel that will be the tallest structure at the Disneyland Resort and the fastest indoor roller coaster west of the Mississippi that zooms into total darkness at more than 45 mph.
"The theme park industry is extremely competitive now," said Dave Koontz, a spokesman for SeaWorld Adventure Park in San Diego, which is unveiling a watery roller coaster called Journey to Atlantis. "If you don't refresh your park every two to three years, it's very difficult in today's environment to retain your attendance base."
All told, Southern California parks have invested more than $150 million in their new attractions, creating hundreds of jobs, according to estimates from Amusement Business, a publication that tracks the industry.
"We're thrilled. It keeps the product 'California' always fresh and trendy in the minds of visitors," said Caroline Beteta, executive director of the state's Travel and Tourism Commission, which estimates that more than $75 billion in travel spending funnels into the state economy every year, supporting more than 1 million jobs and generating $5 billion in direct state and local tax revenue.
The new rides might lure more visitors and pump more money into the economy. Or they might not excite enough interest to make the money spent worth it.
When a park adds a multimillion-dollar attraction, "there's always risk," said James Zoltak, Amusement Business' senior editor in Los Angeles. "There's risk that you'll do it and you won't get the visitors you hoped," he said, "or that you won't do it and you'll have lackluster performance."
At Disney's California Adventure, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a ride that starts in a service elevator atop the 13th floor of an abandoned Hollywood hotel, is the most expensive gamble at an estimated $60 million, according to Amusement Business. The Tower of Terror is slated to open May 5.
