Abstract
Since the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955, the global growth of theme parks (also known as amusement parks) has emerged as a major element of leisure, recreational and tourist activity patterns in the developed world. Camp (1997) defines a theme park as being an outdoor attraction which combines rides, attractions and shows; • designed around a central theme or group of themes; and charging a pay-one-price admission fee to visitors. (Camp, 1997: 4-5) The global theme park industry has grown to a US$11 billion a year business, with an estimated 119 major theme parks spread across the world. These parks received in excess of 300 million visits in 1996, many attracting over 1 million visitors each a year. This is complemented by a large array of parks which attract less than a million visitors a year. The visits per capita to theme parks varies from 0.6 in the USA and Japan to 0.5 in Australia to 0.23 in Europe. These statistics illustrate the global impact of theme parks, which have attracted a great deal of debate among researchers on their wider significance to contemporary society.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Tourism Management |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 227-232 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781136002823 |
ISBN (Print) | 0080435890, 9780080435893 |
Publication status | Published - 24 Mar 2000 |