The Beast and I have been discussing attendance issues at Islands of Adventure ("IOA") and Universal Studios Florida ("USF") in connection with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and wanted to pass along these thoughts.
In 2009, IOA had approximately 4,600,000 visitors and USF had approximately 5,500,000 visitors. So, what type of bump in visitors can IOA expect to get in 2010 (we know it will get some bump or Universal execs will be committing Hari-kari)? For that matter, can it surpass USF in total visits? USF has historically been the "anchor" park of Universal and IOA is the "other" park, but will WWOHP change that perception?
Its an interesting question. Will some visitors (especially from the UK) come to IOA and WWOHP instead of Disney World? Probably not, but it is certainly possible--leisure dollars only go so far. However, this is probably a "rising tide lifts all ships" situation, and Orlando will benefit as a whole.
So, what are your thoughts on attendance at IOA and Universal with WWOHP coming? What kind of percentage jump is IOA going to get? Comment or email us with your thoughts. We will talk about your responses and more of our thoughts on an upcoming podcast.
In 2009, IOA had approximately 4,600,000 visitors and USF had approximately 5,500,000 visitors. So, what type of bump in visitors can IOA expect to get in 2010 (we know it will get some bump or Universal execs will be committing Hari-kari)? For that matter, can it surpass USF in total visits? USF has historically been the "anchor" park of Universal and IOA is the "other" park, but will WWOHP change that perception?
Its an interesting question. Will some visitors (especially from the UK) come to IOA and WWOHP instead of Disney World? Probably not, but it is certainly possible--leisure dollars only go so far. However, this is probably a "rising tide lifts all ships" situation, and Orlando will benefit as a whole.
So, what are your thoughts on attendance at IOA and Universal with WWOHP coming? What kind of percentage jump is IOA going to get? Comment or email us with your thoughts. We will talk about your responses and more of our thoughts on an upcoming podcast.
Your "rising tide lifts all
Your "rising tide lifts all ships" reference is on target I believe for this discussion. I believe we will see a significant increase in IOA numbers, that seems obvious, but will also see an increase among other parks as well. This will also, in part, be the product of a difficult 2009 year financially for many folks who may have put a hold on theme park visits. My hope is that 2010 will see the rebound in attendance, especially at USF parks which had a difficult 2009.