This may be simply one of the best theme park articles written in the past two years. I have, therefore, titled it the way I have here (and put it in the Busch parks in play thread where those who are only looking there will see it). I HIGHLY recommend you read it if you are interested in the past, present and future of the industry:

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_bu...0,2990497.story

What a Hoot. After the Port Backlash against Dubai, I'd like to see a purchase attempt of a US Theme park.

Great Article. But I agree with Woofer, Dubai buying the Busch parks? What a hoot.

I don't see Cedar Fair buying these 10 parks, cause they just spent 1.24 BILLION on just 5 parks, and they still have a debt to pay off.

And Six Flags? Ha. Ha. Ha ha. They are in an unbelievabe debt, and they want to invest into buying 10 more parks, especially parks with High expectations for there next owner.

Laugh all you want. IF InBev buys AB, which may happen, they will be interested in only one thing from the buyer of the parks, which they will certainly sell. What will they care about? The same thing CBS did with Cedar Fair. How much will the buyer pay? Needless to say, the more that is, the merrier InBev will be. And there is a HUGE difference between strategic interests in the nation's ports as opposed to owning something most sane adults see as frivolity--amusement parks.

Well, Interp, then who do you think would buy them?

Whoever pays the most money. And given the current political and economic situation, it would not surprise me even a little if the buyer were foreign based.....from Dubai to Great Britain to Spain to Mexico to even China. Stranger things have happened.

Even if AB is able to fend off InBev, they may still spin off the parks, to "maximize shareholder value." I've been predicting that for some time, since the parks headquarters was moved away from St Louis to Orlando, and the former parks president was elevated to the parent company.

Laugh all you want. IF InBev buys AB, which may happen, they will be interested in only one thing from the buyer of the parks, which they will certainly sell. What will they care about? The same thing CBS did with Cedar Fair. How much will the buyer pay? Needless to say, the more that is, the merrier InBev will be. And there is a HUGE difference between strategic interests in the nation's ports as opposed to owning something most sane adults see as frivolity--amusement parks.

It's as much about images and appearances as it is with "strategic interests."

The reason the Dubai Port deal fell through has less to do with if the ports would have been safe than how it appeared.

Foreign (especially Arab/Foreign) investment in high profile US Entities just will not go down well.

A European company would suffer enough backlash (hense moving the corporate headquarters for InBev to the US) but Arab investment in something so high profile just would not happen.

Whoever pays the most money. And given the current political and economic situation, it would not surprise me even a little if the buyer were foreign based.....from Dubai to Great Britain to Spain to Mexico to even China. Stranger things have happened.

Great Britain & Spain, maybe. Peso is not strong enough. China and Dubai, that is a good chuckle for this morning. Thanks Interp.

The one factor that would cause me to be inclined to perhaps agree is that this is an election year, and it would again become a high profile political issue...then again, I can see Dubai ending up with Six Flags at some point...or not.