Theme park tourism and management strategy.

Theme parks represent a relatively new concept of tourist attractions and strive to create a fantasy atmosphere of another place and time. Visual and vocal statements primarily communicate the theme as well as other senses like scent and touching. Successful development of a themed attraction is a combination of writing or storytelling, creative design, financial projections, audience analysis and planning. Theme parks emerged from traditional amusement parks, dating back to ancient and medieval religious festivals and trade fairs. This chapter reviews the development of the global theme park industry, as well as its scope in terms of attendance, revenue enhancement, visitor characteristics and industry organization in North America, Europe and Asia. Likely future trends of the global theme park industry are discussed, including the impact of the entertainment facilities' location and other design factors. The discussion also suggests that contemporary theme parks will develop products that enhance their guests' experiences and immerse them in fantasy feelings that they perceive unattainable, beyond their reach or they had just simply missed in life. Theme parks of the future also will continue monitoring changes in consumer demographics, potential new markets, changing technologies and their overall impact on social, cultural and political thought. © CAB International 2008.