“It’s no secret that since the recession began a few years ago, people have been cutting back on discretionary leisure spending, opting for staycations and/or nearcations rather than the more expensive vacations. In turn, attractions have been looking to local residents to help replace the tourism dollars lost from a drop in out-of-town visitors.

Interestingly, the staycation trend may be of economic benefit to leisure and entertainment operators. The need to attract and encourage local and regional visitors to stay longer and return more often is one of the driving forces behind Destination Creation in Europe.”

“Everyone’s very focused on the significant growth in the emerging economies in regions such as Asia. The main issues are ensuring that quality equipment and safe practices are being incorporated into all of the new facilities which are opening.

Safety is the biggest challenge. This is especially true in a rapidly developing global economy. Countries where world class parks are being built need to ensure they have a foundation for safety by incorporating strict safety standards like ASTMF24 and CEN that cover both the equipment and its operation.”

“The industry has a heightened interest in a single view approach to their guests and consumers. Attractions and parks want to share client information through all park systems from ticketing, online sales, reservations, retail, park photos, social media and more. Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts in Orlando is a good best example of the realisation of a single view approach with the recently rolled out My Magic + program.

The interaction between attractions and their guests opens up opportunities to build relationships. This starts online with the guest designing their visit before they’ve left home, then leads to a custom greeting for the guest when they arrive at the front entrance and an active presence on social media sites.”

“The most exciting thing that’s going on is the convergence of wet and dry attractions, creating altogether new experiences for guests. Integrating these elements provides a variety of experiences for guests and allows them to customise their own adventure.

It’s the most creative and innovative period this industry’s seen. It’s exciting to see projects all over the world where this convergence is being adopted.”

“The biggest hot button in the industry at the moment is the protection of intellectual property. IAAPA’s shown excellent leadership in tackling this issue head-on through its new policies and procedures, and hopefully there will be fewer violations as a result.

Maker culture is also hot right now – the ability for guests to create something, as opposed to just interacting with it. Technology continues to change the landscape of museum and theme park experiences with developments in RFID and smart phone technology, for example, Disney’s MagicBand.

However, we have to balance traditional mechanical versus digital technology. We don’t want a museum to simply be a series of flat screens on a wall – we also need exhibits and interactives. For theme parks, the same rule applies – not everything should be a dark ride with the latest 4D technology. While there should be some of that, there needs to be a balanced mix.”

“It seems almost everyone is talking about the weather. This unpredictable force of nature has disrupted the smooth opening of parks around the world. Perhaps it’s time for indoor attractions like dark rides? We think so.

An ongoing challenge is the success of new park developments around the world. The theme park business isn’t an easy business to enter. The high cost of rides and equipment make it difficult to have the necessary critical mass of rides to attract the millions of people required to get a return on the investment. New parks have to be in the right location with the right funding and the right business plan.

The most exciting aspects revolve around the continuing expansion of Universal Studios and Disney parks. These guys are the true trendsetters in our industry and never cease to amaze us with their new attractions.”