5.5 Theme Parks

WEALTH AS A VACATION

entertainment, nightlife, and dining. The Strip is a 2.5-mile long stretch lined with luxury hotels including the Bellagio, the 1,149-foot Stratosphere, the Venetian Hotel, and Caesar’s Palace.

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (42 million annual visitors): A historic city that played an important part in the founding of the United States, Philadelphia is found along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Some of the most historic sites in the city include the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed. The Reading Terminal Market is the oldest farmer’s market in the nation; Longwood Gardens off ers over a thousand acres of beautiful horticulture.

9. San Diego, California (34.9 million annual visitors): Warm and sunny all year, visitors here enjoy the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, the Maritime Museum, and the USS Midway Museum.

10. San Francisco, California (25 million visitors) Famous today for being a technology epicenter, San Francisco is also well known for its steep hills, foggy cool climate, pastel Victorian homes, eclectic food scene, and artistic culture. Visitors enjoy Fisherman’s Wharf the glorious Golden Gate Bridge.

5.5 Theme Parks

I saved the best for last! The titan of traffi c, the vortex of VRP: theme parks of the United States. No other single attraction manmade or natural has more potential for a successful VRP business than theme park areas. In fact, many of the newest evolution of developer/vacation management companies in the industry are purchasing land and building communities near theme parks specifi cally for the private VRP investors and their guests.

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These communities cater directly to vacationing families, groups, corporate meetings, sports organizations, and entire international guest channels visiting for the theme parks. Shuttle services, concierge, and community amenities are all created specifi cally for these guests. Vacation Rental marketing plans with sizeable budgets are deployed to attract a share of the massive visitor travel coming to these areas as theme park attendance has risen steadily in the past few years. This trend isn’t expected to change; just look at the number of dollars entertainment conglomerates are pouring into their theme park divisions.

More than 146 million people visited the top 20 amusement parks in North America last year, up 5.9% from the previous year, according to the annual-attendance report from Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.44

Disney continues to dominate the list, with its parks taking the top fi ve spots. Magic Kingdom draws the most visitors by a large margin, consistently ranking as not only the most popular theme park in North America but in the rest of the world as well. In total, seven of the top 10 amusement parks are located in Florida. While ticket prices tend to increase in the peak summer season, they are usually lower if purchased ahead of time and online.45

VRP businesses near theme park locations are ideal for those who live in these areas, those who vacation annually, or those VRP business owners looking for fertile ground for additional investment consideration. Here, we will review the top 20 theme parks in North America, with attendance numbers from Business Insider magazine.46 Note: this section is an overview. Please conduct your own research. Annual attendance numbers provided are approximate.

44. http://www.teaconnect.org/images/fi les/TEA_160_611852_160525.pdf Accessed May 24, 2019. 45. https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-world-hacks-2015-5 Accessed May 24, 2019. 46. https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-the-20-most-popular-amusement-parks-innorth-america-2016-6 Accessed May 28, 2019.

WEALTH AS A VACATION

These are the places where your VRP investment has the highest probability of success:

1. Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (annual attendance: 20.49 million): The most famous part of Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park on Earth. Like its sister park Disneyland, MK features iconic rides like Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. Every night at Cinderella Castle in the middle of the park, glowing fi reworks and a fl ying Tinkerbell charm all the visitors.

2. Disneyland in Anaheim, California (annual attendance: 18.28 million): From the Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean to Space Mountain to Peter Pan’s Flight to It’s a Small World, Disney land features rides that are known and beloved throughout the world.

3. Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (annual attendance: 11.8 million): Celebrating technological innovation and international culture with its two sections, Future World and World Showcase, Epcot is one of the most unique theme parks in the world. Mission: Space lets visitors simulate fl oating like an astronaut; Test Track allows visitors to experience high speeds in an automobileeffi ciency-test simulation. World Showcase is reminiscent of a world’s fair with 11 sections representing the culture and cuisine of 11 diff erent countries.

4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (annual attendance: 10.92 million): Themed around nature, animals, and conservation, Animal Kingdom is the largest amusement park in the world, with 580 acres of land. The park’s newest section, Pandora, is based on the world in the popular James Cameron movie “Avatar.”

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5. Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (annual attendance: 10.2 million): Featuring the Tower of Terror on its Sunset Boulevard, this park is inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood and features attractions that focus on “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “Toy Story,” and “The Muppets.” Star Wars Land opened in August of 2019; Toy Story Land opened in late 2018.

6. Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida (annual attendance: 9.59 million): Home to the very popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter—Diagon Alley, this park’s attendance recently soared after it opened. Other popular sections of the park include live shows and immersive experiences. Two of these are Transformers: The Ride—3D and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.

7. Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California (annual attendance: 9.38 million): Themed after the history and culture of California, this park has seven districts and new attractions like Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. Its Hollywood Land is a popular district inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 1930s.

8. Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida (annual attendance: 8.79 million): With seven islands themed in diff erent ways including Toon Lagoon, Seuss Landing, and Marvel Super Hero Island, this popular park is right next door to Universal Studios Orlando. The future looks bright for this park as it is also home to part of the staggeringly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

9. Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California (annual attendance: 7.1 million): Tours of the studio lots to visitors in 1964 grew over time into a fully operational theme park with rides, shows, and live character appearances. The Wizarding

WEALTH AS A VACATION

World of Harry Potter opened here after its huge success in the Orlando Universal parks. The park also features rides themed after “Jurassic Park,” “Transformers,” and “Despicable Me.”

10. SeaWorld Orlando in Orlando, Florida (annual attendance: 4.78 million): With killer whale shows and cutting-edge rides, SeaWorld holds its own in Orlando. Its TurtleTrek exhibit opened in 2012 and includes a 360-degree, 3D dome theater for a movie. In 2013, its Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin pavilion opened with the nation’s fi rst trackless dark ride system. The park opened Sesame Street area in early 2019.

11. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida (annual attendance: 4.25 million): Themed after 19th-century Africa, this park is known for its tropical landscapes, exotic animals, thrilling rides, and holiday celebrations. During Christmas, the entire park is fi lled with twinkling lights and real snow.

12. Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California (annual attendance: 3.87 million): With four themed sections, Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, The Boardwalk, and Camp Snoopy, this theme park can trace its roots back to 1940. There are 40 rides including roller coasters, family- and kid-friendly rides, and historical rides that showcase California frontier history.

13. Canada’s Wonderland in Maple, Ontario (annual attendance: 3.62 million): The fi rst and largest amusement park in Canada, this park is open from May to September and features International Street, Medieval Faire, Action Zone, and Planet Snoopy. Its adjacent water park, Splash Works, has the largest outdoor wave pool in the country.

14. SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego, California (annual attendance: 3.53 million): Founded in 1964 as a marine zoological

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park, SeaWorld shows famously feature killer whales, dolphins, and sea lions.

15. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio (annual attendance: 3.51 million): The second-oldest operating theme park in the country, Cedar Point can trace its roots back to 1870 and is famous for its extreme rides. The park has 18 roller coasters and over 71 rides in total. Its newest roller coaster, Valravn, has a 223-foot drop with speeds of up to 75 mph; it’s the fastest dive coaster in the world.

16. Kings Island in Kings Island, Ohio (annual attendance: 3.34 million): Only open from early spring until Labor Day (and for a few weekends surrounding Halloween), this theme park located near Cincinnati is famous for its 14 roller coasters and 33-acre water park.

17. Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania (annual attendance: 3.28 million): This park has a unique background—it was built for the employees of Hershey Chocolate Company. A familyoriented theme park with dozens of kid-friendly rides and 13 roller coasters, visitors can enjoy factory themed tour-ride of Hershey’s Chocolate World.

18. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California (annual park attendance: 3.1 million): This theme park holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park—19. Samsung Gear VR makes The New Revolution roller coaster extra unique for guests.

19. Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey (Annual park attendance: 3.05 million): Featuring 11 themed sections, this theme park is known for family-friendly rides and Fright Fest during October.