Amusement parks and “spectacular” often come together. If they don’t, the amusement park may not be in business very long.
Amusement Parks as Distant Memories
The world is strewn with old, abandoned amusement parks that used to rake in visitors and money but soon the visitors stopped coming. We all remember an amusement park from our childhood that went out of business long ago, but we remember them as if it were yesterday. Talk about time travel!
The following images are from two abandoned amusement parks in Japan from the book.
Amusement Park Construction on the Upswing
According to a 380-page report, the Global Amusement and Theme Park Industry is on the upswing. China is currently on a theme park building binge with the new Shanghai Disney Resort expected to open in June 2016 among them. The US is getting ready for a Star Wars themed amusement park once the kinks are worked out with respect to location and size.
The measuring stick for amusement parks is kept by organizations such as the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) founded in 1918, which just had its 2015 expo and awarded a best exhibit award to Monster City Studios, a leader in original themed environments, character design and development, models, set design and construction, and special event and production props.
IAAPA’s next 3 expos in 2016 are:
- Asian Attractions Expo 2016
- Euro Attractions Show 2016
- IAAPA Attractions Expo 2016
Today’s Cutting Edge Amusement Parks
IndustryTap has reported on Switzerland’s new Starlight amusement park ride, Taiwan’s Gravity Max, amusement parks that use virtual reality (VR), record breaking Sky Screamers, and the world’s fastest and tallest roller coasters. One of the more interesting attractions we’ve covered is Disney’s Tower of Terror. All new attractions push the envelope by using cutting edge technology to increase the “wow factor” that keeps riders coming.
Amusement Parks Located in Interesting Places
Today’s amusement parks need the “wow factor” and “wow” today comes in the form of amusement parks filled with video games and placement in new venues such as at or near schools and hospitals.
The following video takes you inside the Turda Salt Mine, 20 stories underground:
