http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/Capabilities/Economics/_documents/2012%20Theme%20Index%20Combined_1-1_online.pdf

I thought individual park stats weren't released for Cedar Fair. Was that a false assumption or did it change recently? Also, that is a very interesting find filled with information. Interesting that Knott's attendance dropped, while almost all others others increased.

Some Highlights:

Canada's Wonderland- 3,655,000 (5% increase)

Knott's Berry Farm- 3,508,000 (4% decrease)

Cedar Point- 3,221,000 (2.5% increase)

Kings Island- 3,206,000 (2% increase)

The 8 most attended parks worldwide are all owned by Disney

Top theme park groups worldwide:

1- Disney

2- Merlin

3- Universal

4- Parques Reunidos

5- Six Flags

6- Sea World

7- Cedar Fair

Overall a very interesting read. Be sure to take a look!

I hate how so many people go to Disney. It's like foreign tourists (and even American tourists) don't know there are other parks to visit besides Disney. Disney isn't even as good as it used to be and they haven't added much but they still are #1 by a long shot.

Thanks for posting this.

Those are not official attendance figures in most cases. Most are estimates. Their reliability cannot be assumed.

I hate how so many people go to Disney. It's like foreign tourists (and even American tourists) don't know there are other parks to visit besides Disney. Disney isn't even as good as it used to be and they haven't added much but they still are #1 by a long shot.

Could it be this way because it is Disney. Little girls can get a princess autograph and little boys can high five Mickey... Plus disney is good, maybe it doesnt have 14 roller coasters but have you seen Fantasy Land? You can eat in The Beast's castle!

Put another way, the world-wide love of Mickey (whose last cartoon was decades ago) is well nigh universal.

True^

When you think Mickey you think Disney parks...

Unfortunately, when you think of Snoopy you think of football head, the red baron (bonus points if you can link all 3 songs), and the great pumpkin. Not many relate Snoopy to CF....

For many, many years, in Ohio, when you thought of Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear, you thought, Come On, Get Happy! Kings Island!

Even today, the Loony Tunes make many think of More Flags, More Fun, GO BIG!

Disney is one of the best marketed and promoted companies in the world. It is no surprise they are number one.

For many, many years, in Ohio, when you thought of Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear, you thought, Come On, Get Happy! Kings Island!

Even today, the Loony Tunes make many think of More Flags, More Fun, GO BIG!

When I think of Looney Tunes, I think of Cartoon Network.

This, however, makes me think of flags in groups of six:

True^

When you think Mickey you think Disney parks...

Unfortunately, when you think of Snoopy you think of football head, the red baron (bonus points if you can link all 3 songs), and the great pumpkin. Not many relate Snoopy to CF....

My four year old son always brings up Kings Island anytime he sees a Peanuts character around town, though he's likely one of the few.

Disney is nirvania for families with young kids. When you have kids in the age range of 4-10, high thrill rides are rarely at the top of the agenda. Getting a chance to have lunch with a disney princess from the movie you've seen 100 times is. It should be no surprise that Disney is #1. Its a travel destination for families thru out the world thanks to their long list of high quality, long lasting films aimed at small children.

Universal has taken a huge blow to their parks, at least if the charm of Harry Potter can match the long standing run of Disney. I'm sure its a "challenge" we'll face in the next 5-10 years w/ a 4 year old boy and a 1 year old girl. A girl who's mother wants to do the whole "dress up like a disney princess" for a day thing. Thankfully, the boy also has a mother that will be equally happy hitting up Universal for any and all thrill rides including Harry Potter.

It still never ceases to amaze me how EARLY kids become indoctrinated with Disney characters. My partner's great niece just turned ONE and she already recognizes Minnie Mouse (she even attempts to say something that sounds vaguely similar to "Minnie".) A former co-workers daughter could recongize Mickey at about the same age, and loved to watch (over and over and over again) some CGI Mickey and friends show on the Disney Channel. And, that's all without any significant (current) media presence--it's like its inborn or something...

There's probably a lot of valid criticisms people can make about The Walt Disney Company, but you certainly can't fault them for the way they keep their intellectual property constantly promoted & relevant.

True^

When you think Mickey you think Disney parks...

Unfortunately, when you think of Snoopy you think of football head, the red baron (bonus points if you can link all 3 songs), and the great pumpkin. Not many relate Snoopy to CF....

For me personally, whenever I do think of Snoopy, Knott's comes to mind first. Just like Berenstein bears make me think of CP. To this day, Snoopy still feels so out of place at KI.

Some thoughts on the report...

1) Cars Land was definitely worth the investment--an almost 23% increase in year-on-year attendance (and, it only slightly cannabalized attendance at DLP...just a little over 1%). That means that the Disneyland Resort (already one of the most heavily visited in the world) saw a 20%+ net increase. That's amazing for a "mature" market...

2) I'm surprised at how close CP's Soak City's attendance is to Zoombezi Bay's at the Columbus Zoo...I would have thought Soak City would have been further ahead of Zoombezi Bay. (Which, I guess is an indication of how well Zoombezi Bay--and the Columbus Zoo overall--is doing.)

3) What's attributed to the increase at USH (+15%)? The only thing I can think of is the addition of "Transformers"

Thanks TheCrypt for posting--I enjoying reading this every year. (Even if the numbers aren't officially sanctioned...)

3). That's it. Transformers. USH didn't have a ride like USO (Spiderman) and Transformers changed that.

Put another way, the world-wide love of Mickey (whose last cartoon was decades ago) is well nigh universal.

Something tells me Terp doesn't know the hot dog dance song.

Put another way, the world-wide love of Mickey (whose last cartoon was decades ago) is well nigh universal.

Something tells me Terp doesn't know the hot dog dance song.

That was the song my co-worker's daughter loved! "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog" :-)

Not great lyrics, but definitely catchy :-)

I hate how so many people go to Disney. It's like foreign tourists (and even American tourists) don't know there are other parks to visit besides Disney. Disney isn't even as good as it used to be and they haven't added much but they still are #1 by a long shot.

Could it be this way because it is Disney. Little girls can get a princess autograph and little boys can high five Mickey... Plus disney is good, maybe it doesnt have 14 roller coasters but have you seen Fantasy Land? You can eat in The Beast's castle!

I think it all has to do with theming. People want to exist in a world that's outside reality. A world that they've only been able to experience in movies or on the TV. Disney allows you to exist inside a fantasy world that used to exist only in your imagination. Maybe other amusement parks should take a lesson from Disney (and now Universal with their largely popular World of Harry Potter)...Theming, theming, theming! I think that's where Disney gets it and other parks don't.

Matt Ouimet.

Cedar Fair.

Disney.

Somehow, by now I thought Cedar Fair would be more down the road of adopting Disneyesque levels of service.

Instead, some things, like food service in particular, seem to have taken giant steps...backwards.

I don't get it.

At least shade is coming.