 | | From: | rakowitzr at stic.net | | Subject: | Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | 17 Jan 2005 17:39:43 -0800 |
|
|
 | Amusement Business published recently that Fiesta Texas had an
attendence of only 1.4 million patrons as compared to Sea World of
Texas at 1.8 million patrons for the 2004 year. Fiesta Texas tied with
Astroworld in attendence of 1.4 million patrons. Overall, Sea World of
Texas attributed the increase due to a strong promotion of their park
and more operating days. Six Flags says the weather did hurt its
attendence at Fiesta Texas. Sea World of Texas had an attendence that
went up and Fiesta Texas attendence went down according to the AB
report. I do think Fiesta Texas was a little low with a little more
like about 1.5 million visitors for the year 2004. Fiesta Texas was
better maintained and cleaner than it has been in the past few years.
However, Sea World of Texas has added many extra days to its operating
calender over the past few years whereas Fiesta Texas has cut back on
open days. This year Sea World will open everyday for three weeks
straight on March 5th and close after March 28th. Fiesta Texas will
open on March 12th for a week and then open again later in March for a
half of a week to cover the Easter weekend. Sea World of Texas will be
open fridays in April and May besides Saturday and Sunday. In
addition, Sea World of Texas is open the entire month of November and
fridays for the last two weekends of October. Finally, Sea World of
Texas holds an annual preview day on usually the last weekend of
February for season passholders. You get about 10 months of open days
at Sea World of Texas as compared to Fiesta Texas which has 8 months of
operating days. Sea World of Texas tends to pamper the season
passholder more with these extras plus actual passholder news letters
throughout the year. I would not renew my season pass if were not for
the extra days and these perks.
On the other hand, Six Flags Fiesta Texas would do much better if it
would not give away so many free tickets. I have not bought my Fiesta
Texas pass since the deadline it not until February 6th for the lowest
discounted season pass. Fiesta Texas was offering free tickets if you
brought their season pass by January 31st. This did not motivate me
since I know there will be large numbers of discounted and free day
coupons in the season pass holder coupon book. I did enjoy the shorter
lines last year at Fiesta Texas. The park has better shows than Sea
World of Texas. Maybe, Fiesta Texas should consider reopening Holiday
in the Park to boost their attendence. Fiesta Texas certainly has more
rides but it does not have the operating days which make visiting the
park less easy.
|
|
| | From: | roller10 | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | 18 Jan 2005 08:50:43 -0800 |
|
|
|
rakowitzr@stic.net wrote:
> Amusement Business published recently that Fiesta Texas had an
> attendence of only 1.4 million patrons as compared to Sea World of
> Texas at 1.8 million patrons for the 2004 year. Fiesta Texas tied
with
> Astroworld in attendence of 1.4 million patrons. Overall, Sea World
of
> Texas attributed the increase due to a strong promotion of their park
> and more operating days. Six Flags says the weather did hurt its
> attendence at Fiesta Texas. Sea World of Texas had an attendence
that
> went up and Fiesta Texas attendence went down according to the AB
> report. I do think Fiesta Texas was a little low with a little more
> like about 1.5 million visitors for the year 2004. Fiesta Texas was
> better maintained and cleaner than it has been in the past few years.
>
It sounds like BOTH parks were hurting this past season.
SFFT hasn't added anything significant since SKC in 2000. Weather could
affect the park more than the average park. Both rain and a heat wave
are bad, since the park lacks cover/shade.
SWoT has got to be the dissapointment of the chain. Anyone else
remember the high hopes for the park when it was new? It was not a
Busch park at the time. The original projected annual attendance was 6
Million, and it would be a year-round daily operation. We have photos
of a sign outside the entrance, taken opening season, plugging the
planned second park. Boardwalk and Baseball never got built. By opening
day, that had dropped to 4 million, with daily operation in peak months
only. Midway through the first season, it was decided to cut back to
seasonal operation, only. The "Worlds largest Marine Life Adventure
Park" has never drawn projected numbers.
It seems that the Sea World parks thrive in milder weather locations.
Both San Diego and Orlando parks have done well, despite a lack of
rides. The Texas and Ohio parks fared poorly. Its a bit too hot or too
cold, respectably.
Both SFFT and SWoT were expecting to tap into the average older visitor
to San Antonio. I suspect that the locations of the parks, way out from
the Riverwalk, has kept the expected demographic down.
Robert Reagan
|
|
| | From: | TCS | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | 19 Jan 2005 03:14:32 GMT |
|
|
| Are you (Reagan) saying that Fiesta Texas was only open all year the first
season of operation? It was open all year when I went, during my daughter's
Spring Break from HS. I remember it being quite cold in the morning but it was
sunny and warmed up.
That would probably be 1989. Does that work?
Note: We also went to Carlsbad Caverns on that trip. Weather was not a
factor. ;-)
Cheers, TCS
TCS (The Colorado Skier)
Colorado Springs - Gateway to Colorado Ski Country
|
|
| | From: | Paul Young | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | 19 Jan 2005 14:27:46 GMT |
|
|
| No, Robert said only Sea World ever intended year round daily operation.
Fiesta Texas has always been seasonal (daily for summer and spring break
only, weekends the rest of the season. )
Paul
"TCS" wrote in message
news:20050118221432.21924.00000099@mb-m05.aol.com...
> Are you (Reagan) saying that Fiesta Texas was only open all year the first
> season of operation? It was open all year when I went, during my
> daughter's
> Spring Break from HS. I remember it being quite cold in the morning but
> it was
> sunny and warmed up.
>
> That would probably be 1989. Does that work?
>
> Note: We also went to Carlsbad Caverns on that trip. Weather was not a
> factor. ;-)
>
> Cheers, TCS
>
> TCS (The Colorado Skier)
> Colorado Springs - Gateway to Colorado Ski Country
|
|
| | From: | William J. Buckley | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:43:46 GMT |
|
|
| "TCS" wrote
> Are you (Reagan) saying that Fiesta Texas was only open all year the first
> season of operation?
I seem to remember it was, yes. I remember I went in April, August and
November of opening year.
> That would probably be 1989. Does that work?
No, too early. Believe the 1st year was 1992.
-B "then SF took over and it all went downhill from there...."
|
|
| | From: | TCS | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | 24 Jan 2005 05:10:37 GMT |
|
|
| >"TCS" wrote
>> Are you (Reagan) saying that Fiesta Texas was only open all year the first
>> season of operation?
>
>I seem to remember it was, yes. I remember I went in April, August and
>November of opening year.
>
>> That would probably be 1989. Does that work?
>
>No, too early. Believe the 1st year was 1992.
>
>
Oops! I was actually thinking of Sea World. That's the place I visited in
1989 in March. I believe that it is also no longer open all year.
TCS (The Colorado Skier)
Colorado Springs - Gateway to Colorado Ski Country
|
|
| | From: | NoGodForMe | | Subject: | Re: Attendance Lower at Fiesta Texas than Sea World Texas? | | Date: | Mon, 17 Jan 2005 21:35:54 -0500 |
|
|
|
> Six Flags says the weather did hurt its
> attendence at Fiesta Texas.
Where have I heard this before?
|
|
