It’s no secret that right now, of the theme parks that are open, attendance is sparse. Disney is trying to use discounts to lure guests back to the parks, and Universal Orlando Resort is courting locals with special deals for tickets that last throughout the year and annual passholder “appreciation” events. And though theme parks are cutting hours, attractions, and more in an effort to stay open while times are tight, it looks like things aren’t going to get better any time soon.
The vast majority of families do not want to visit a theme park any time in 2020
A recent poll published by Morning Consult and The Hollywood Reporter, finds that 78% of U.S. parents say it’s too soon to return to any theme park this summer. Interestingly, when asked about specific parks, survey respondents said they were more interested in visiting Disney with 26% of parents saying they were interested in going to Walt Disney World this summer, and 24% said the same of Disneyland. According to the Miami Herald, guests were surveyed about visiting other theme parks, with those in Florida and California faring much better than those in other markets around the United States.
- Universal Orlando, 25%
- Universal Studios Hollywood, 24%
- SeaWorld Orlando, 23%
- Legoland Florida, 18%
- Dollywood, 17%
- Cedar Point in Ohio, 15%
Though these results paint a dire picture, there was some good news in the report as it looks like 47% of those surveyed said that they would consider visiting a theme park in Summer 2021, more than twice the amount willing to go this year.
What makes guests more comfortable with the theme park experience?
Though potential theme park tourists seem to be staying home for now, this survey also looked at what safety measures make guests feel the most comfortable with the theme park experience. And of those surveyed, 45% said limiting the number of patrons in the park would make them more likely to go, the highest of any other safety measure surveyed. Other safety measures that were very important to guests considering visiting a theme park are adding sanitization stations and mandating temperature checks.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, mask requirements were very divisive, with 39% of those surveyed saying that mask rules made them more likely to consider going to a theme park, but 20% answering in the opposite direction, saying that mask requirements makes them less likely to visit the theme parks.
Could we see even more reduced operations later this year
Right now theme parks, especially in the Orlando area are remaining open for the time being, but are making as many cuts as possible to try and keep budgets low. And unfortunately, we could be in for more cuts as 2020 wears on. Already SeaWorld Orlando has confirmed that they will be moving to a 5-day operating schedule beginning in September, and Disney is cutting hours dramatically next month, with parks closing between 5-7 PM nightly. And depending on how dire things get, we could see closed attractions and even tighter schedules this fall.
As always, while this situation is evolving, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
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