Summer 2013: What's New in Amusement Parks and Attractions!

image courtesy of the International Association of Amusemet Parks & Attractions

This week we are thrilled to share a guest article on the latest and greatest in amusement parks and attractions! The following article is provided courtesy of Mindy Bianca, Media Contact for the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA).  Founded in 1918, IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities and attractions, and is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the attractions industry.

Enjoy!

 

Nearly 200 new rides and attractions open this summer at more than 80 theme parks, water parks, family fun centers, zoos, aquariums, and museums in the United States and Canada, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the worldwide trade association for the global attractions industry. 

More than 300 million people will visit U.S. amusement parks and attractions this summer as the attractions industry provides 600,000 jobs and helps pump more than $57 billion into North America’s economy.

Trends identified from the massive list of new attractions for 2013 include new and even more thrilling wooden roller coaster experiences, expanded and refreshing water park additions, and increasingly immersive experiences designed to take guests into new worlds for unique adventures.

Wooden roller coasters have been entertaining guests for more than 125 years, but in 2013, there is a noted trend toward coasters that go beyond the traditional hills, dips, and curves associated with wood coasters. Thanks in part to new technologies and designs, several wooden coasters opening this summer offer guests a choice between the traditional wooden coaster ride experience and a hybrid that gives riders the ambiance of a wood coaster while providing inversions, twists, and turns only previously experienced on steel roller coasters.

Families can cool off this summer at one of more than five new water parks opening in North America or at one of more than 20 water parks introducing gigantic expansions that include massive new wave pools, water coasters, water slide complexes, lazy rivers, spray grounds for young visitors, and more.

Dreamers and designers in the attractions industry continue to create amazing, immersive experiences. This summer, those adventures take guests into the worlds of penguins, princesses, and more.

“If it’s new adventures families want, this summer is going to deliver,” said IAAPA President and CEO Paul Noland. “The rides and exhibits opening at amusement parks and attractions throughout North America range from wooden roller coasters that turn riders upside down, and cool new desert oases, to amazing animal safaris, and high-tech interactive adventures. There’s something new for everyone.”

A list of these new attractions, consumer tips for summer fun, and other information is available here (including a state by state listing of new attractions!).