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Busch Gardens was riding high as it strapped in for 2020, and so was its president, Stewart Clark.
Theme park expert Dennis Speigel, of the Ohio-based International Theme Park Services, said he is advising his clients with big new attractions to keep them under wraps and wait for the next normal vacation season to have a splashy debut.
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San Antonio’s tourism and hospitality industry, decimated by monthslong closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, is starting to claw its way back as major hotels, theme parks and other attractions announce plans to cautiously reopen.
One industry insider expects the bevvy of safety measures to remain in place into the near future. The U.S. still is in the midst of a pandemic, and a vaccine has not yet been developed. “This is the new normal for at least the next two years,” said Dennis Speigel, founder and CEO of Ohio-based consulting firm International Theme Park Services. It’s too early to tell how the season will play out. Parks are slowly bringing back employees and limiting guest capacity.
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When it reopens Thursday after a three-month shutdown, SeaWorld Orlando will cap attendance at about one-third capacity and run on a five day a week calendar to give employees more time to clean, the company’s interim CEO Marc Swanson said.
The parks are “absolutely” safe, Swanson said during his first sit-down interview with the Orlando Sentinel since he took over the company in April in the middle of an economic and health crisis.
SeaWorld Orlando's reopening met with new push by fans to remove board chairman Scott Ross
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When will people feel safe going to Disneyland again? Or getting on an airplane? Or staying in a hotel? As the travel industry prepares to reopen, these are the billion dollar questions that will determine whether the industry recovers quickly … or faces a years-long slump.
Early signs are not encouraging for a quick recovery. Universal’s theme parks in Orlando have reopened, and initial crowds were not, well, crowds. Social distancing was no problem as only a small fraction of the number of visitors who typically would crowd the parks in early June turned out during their reopening weekend.
Will Disney World's Park Reservations System Be a Disaster?
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The company announced this morning that Worlds of Fun will reopen to its pass holders on June 22. Daily ticket sales to the Kansas City-area park will resume in "early July," the park said. Kings Island will begin reopening to pass holders on July 2, followed by Cedar Point one week later - on July 9. Kings Island will begin welcoming daily ticket holders on July 12. Cedar Point will reopen to daily ticket holders one day earlier, only July 11. But the park will be open only to ticket holders staying at one of the park's resort hotels and those who have purchased tickets already. Cedar Point will announce later when it will resume daily ticket sales.
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helma & Boom and ITPS announce collaboration in innovative planning solutions for the changing leisure industry
Thelma & Boom, Inc. (TB), a theme park and entertainment design team based in California, USA, and International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS), a leading leisure and attractions consultant based in Ohio, USA, announced today a collaborative effort on an exciting new design approach and innovative process that meets the new restrictions of remote collaborative efforts between clients, creative and technical teams.
TB and ITPS have worked extensively for many years with international clients, design firms and local A/E groups which, until recently, have followed the traditional AIA or REBA design guidelines and phasing for the design development of theme parks and entertainment venues. However, as the culture of Theme Park Design evolves, the needs of international clients are no longer met by these traditional guidelines developed by the Architecture and Engineering Industries. Theme Park and Amusement Design is a unique world that needs new ways to achieve the most efficient collaboration efforts between the creative and technical development within different cultures, often separated by oceans and long distances.
Click here to read more about Concept+ and Feasibility+
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"Buzzkill" Robert here to dampen your mood. Keep in mind as theme parks announce their reopening dates that parks can "re-close," too. Consider what just happened in South Korea, where global top-20 attendance park Lotte World has had to close following a visitor testing positive for Covid-19. Korean media reports that a high school senior from Seoul who visited the park on June 5 reported that she had tested positive for the virus.
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The most exciting announcement from last year was undoubtedly that of Universal's Epic Universe, the massive expansion of Universal Orlando Resort that would bring not only a brand new theme park but additional hotels, shopping and dining to the resort, effectively doubling it in size.
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Revenues from the theme parks, amusement parks and family entertainment centres was expected to jump 33 percent this year - prior to the Covid-19 crisis Leisure operators across the UAE and GCC are confident about their re-opening strategies, and business bouncing back as lockdown restrictions ease.
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The complaint was filed Monday and claims the resort failed to reimburse ticketholders during the time the theme park was closed. The plaintiff is suing Legoland for a slew of charges that include: violation of California’s consumer legal remedies, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contract, money has a received, negligence, fraud, conversion and unjust enrichment.
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Giant pandas are one of the most important animals in China - so important that the country is planning a colossal resort dwarfing Disneyland in size to celebrate the black-and-white bears.
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There was disappointment after Tayto Park was forced to do a U-turn on plans to reopen next week as it is not yet permitted to operate under Government guidelines. The Ashbourne theme park and zoo announced yesterday morning it would reopen on Thursday, June 18, with limited capacity.
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A tourism promoter in Blackpool has slammed social media users for sending 'nasty, aggressive and abusive messages' over plans to reopen the Pleasure Beach. Amusement park bosses announced on Monday that they welcome thrill seekers back from Saturday, July 4 in line with current Government guidance
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If you’re anything like me, Halloween is the greatest holiday of the year. I love everything spooky and scary, and Halloween Horror Nights became an annual activity for my dad and I. After COVID-19 slowly started shutting down theme parks and forcing us all indoors, my greatest fear was, “What about Horror Nights?”
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There is no contradiction between reopening Ocean Park and banning rallies, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insists. The theme park in Wong Chuk Hang, forced to close by the pandemic for more than five months, will reopen on Saturday after a government injection of HK$5.4 billion to prop it up.
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Yorkshire theme park, Flamingo Land, had faced uncertainty over its future as it struggled to cope with the financial pressures caused by having to close during its busiest season.
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ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Harris Hill Amusement Park has announced its opening day for the 2020 season.
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Kennywood Park says it will be open to the public on July 11, kicking off the amusement park's 2020 season after a long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Elysburg, Pa. – There is no set opening date yet for Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg. The park, which typically opens in April, has its 2020 season on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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As the Walt Disney World Resort moves forward with the phased reopening, Cast Members are getting ready to reopen Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground as well as all Disney Vacation Club resorts starting June 22.
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Holiday World’s Worry-Free Weather Guarantee for inclement weather will allow guests who visit on a day where weather forces attractions to close, to visit another day of their choosing by bringing their original ticket back to the park. The Worry-Free Weather Guarantee is activated when the weather closes major attractions for a period of two cumulative hours on the day of a Guests’ visit.
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VIDEO - An Update on Disney Resort Hotels
The health and safety team has taken a close look at the experiences at our hotels, from resort and room cleaning to check-in, dining and entertainment, so you can have a magical visit with peace of mind. During your stay, you’ll find updates and enhancements made with health and safety in mind, in line with the guidance of health and government authorities.
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The nonprofit resort that helped critically-ill children and their families visit Central Florida has announced it will remain closed indefinitely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Universal Orlando Resort has been open for a little over a week now, and now that we've had a few days to observe what theme parks in the age of COVID-19 look like. And while there are some things that played out over the past few days about how you'd expect, there were a few things that surprised us about the first few days' return to operations at Universal Orlando Resort.
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Anakeesta, a more than 70-acre mountaintop theme park, is improving and expanding in time for the summer season. Each detail is designed and handcrafted by the park's founders and owners, Bob and Karen Bentz, but is inspired by feedback from visitors. As part of a $6.5 million expansion, the park opened TreeVenture, a new treehouse adventure course, during phase one of the project.
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The iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris is set to reopen later this month, welcoming visitors back to the structure that defines the city’s skyline after it closed for the longest time since WWII due to COVID-19. The tower will open at 10 a.m. on June 25 and visitors 11 years old and older will be required to wear masks. Initially, only the Eiffel Tower’s stairs will be open, allowing people to climb to the first and second floors. The top of the tower, accessible by elevator, will not be open.
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Glass-bottomed platforms have never failed to attract - or frighten - visitors in China since they became a tourist hit a few years ago. A gravity-defying observation deck in the mega-city of Chongqing is the latest destination for thrill-seekers to get an adrenaline rush. Suspended at a whopping 250 metres (820 feet) above the ground, the see-through Exploration Deck protrudes from the side of an enclosed sky bridge called 'The Crystal'.
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Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral has reopened. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Due to COVID-19, access initially is limited to the ground-floor shop and seventh-floor observation deck, as is the first-floor cafe, but with a limited menu.
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Main Event is reopening all locations throughout Texas, including San Antonio, starting Thursday, June 11. Phase III reopening guidelines dictate that the entertainment venue can only operate at 50% capacity until social distancing guidelines are relaxed further.
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This Sunday marks another stepping stone in Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s “Back on Track” plan to restart the state’s economy while curtailing the spread of the coronavirus. Stage 4 of the five-step plan will allow groups of at least 250 to gather, restaurants to operate at 75% capacity, bars and nightclubs to reopen at 50% capacity and cultural, entertainment and tourism sites such as museums and zoos to reopen.
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Sky Zone in Mishawaka will reopen this Sunday, June 14. The trampoline park has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
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Revelstoke Mountain Resort is scheduled to open for summer operations June 26. The Pipe Mountain Coaster, Aerial Adventure Park, disc golf course and the new zip line will all be open as well as the Revelation Gondola for sightseeing, hiking and mountain biking.
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Finally something fun to do with your kids in Point Pleasant Beach! The wait has been difficult as so many families have been hoping for a full day of fun at Jenkinson's Boardwalk. Jenk's didn't open for Memorial Day weekend but has slowly started opening since.
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Down a small, narrow alley in the historic Stone Town neighborhood of Zanzibar, an old building beckons to visitors. Faded photographs are pinned outside the door while inside, a gallery of glossy pictures and old newspaper clippings lead the way to the room's centerpiece: a black piano with an interesting history. A young Zanzibari boy once played that piano. His name was Farrokh Bulsara, but you probably know him better as Freddie Mercury.
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Knowing staff cuts were likely in the aftermath of COVID-19 forcing the institution to close since mid-March, Field Museum employees launched an online petition drive to try to save jobs and persuade management to find creative solutions to the coming budget crunch. The workers said that rather than enacting major layoffs as peer institutions have endured, they want to see the natural history museum “drawing from our unrestricted assets and savings, enacting voluntary and rotating furloughs, and reducing hours,” according to the petition posted on actionnetwork.org and signed, organizers said, by more than 200 of the museum’s staff of under 500.
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The lawsuit, filed Monday in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, states that Jenelle Alverson, who now lives in Cincinnati, experienced discrimination and a hostile work environment while working as a security guard and as an art-handler. The lawsuit also states Alverson experienced retaliation for complaining about her situation and that she was forced to resign in 2019.
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Polin Waterparks, a leader and innovator in waterpark technology, has announced the opening of a new ride, Fully 6, at the newly refurbished WhiteWater World. Polin Waterparks is pleased to announce that WhiteWater World, the sister park to Dreamworld on Australia’s Gold Coast, is now open to the public once again with a brand new ride called Fully 6.
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Wilderness Resorts and Waterparks officials announced that Soaky Mountain Waterpark will officially open for business on Saturday, June 27, at 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The new state-of-the-art 50-acre waterpark is at 175 Gists Creek Road in Sevierville, Tn. Wilderness at the Smokies guests who purchase tickets and season pass holders will be able to enjoy a sneak preview of the park on Thursday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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The Great Wolf Lodge and water park in Traverse City will reopen June 23 with limited capacity. The family resort partnered with sanitation experts to ensure customer safety with new regulations to protect against COVID-19: room sanitation prior to check-in, new options for contactless payment and hand sanitizer stations throughout the lodge.
Related: Great Wolf Lodge in KCK to reopen on June 19
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The opening for the water park in Butte is delayed by one week. The Parks and Recreation Department had planned to open Ridge Waters Thursday but said they had several reasons to push that back. One reason is that weather delayed some of the training for this season’s staff.
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We have good news for those who have been anxiously waiting for the 2020 opening of Splash Montana -- your wait is almost up. The Missoula Parks and Recreation Department will be opening the outdoor water park on Monday, June 15. The opening will come in phases, with the lap pool being the first available attraction. The following week, Splash River, the zero-entry pool, and water slides will be open, barring any additional restrictions.
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SeaWorld granted Spectrum News 13 earlier access to Aquatica Orlando, ahead of its June 11 public reopening. There are many changes that visitors should expect to see when they visit, all designed to keep everyone safe. Aquatica anticipates having a few thousand guests when it reopens instead of a maximum capacity of about 12,000. The water park closed in mid-March in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Kentucky Kingdom has announced an opening date for its water park. A couple of weeks ago, the park said it would reopen on June 29. On Tuesday, it said Hurricane Bay will open July 3.
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Fun in the sun gets even better at the Lake this week, as Big Surf Waterpark opens for the summer Friday, June 12. The waterpark will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and General Manager Darin Keim says it will operate at 50% capacity—or 1,100 people—per discussions with state health officials. Big Surf is popular with locals and vacationers alike, offering eight attractions and activity areas for families to enjoy.
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The 'world's tallest and most extreme stand-alone inflatable water slide' is being sued for negligence by a Victorian tourist who claims to have suffered a hip injury on the Gold Coast tourist attraction. Adam Boldiston, 43, is seeking $486,000 in damages from The Big Wedgie at Southport District Court, for the incident which allegedly took place on December 28, 2017.
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Signifying its unwavering commitment to uphold the international standards of animal care, conservation and education, the ocean-themed resort is the only AZA accredited brand in the region
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Just in time for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s re-opening on June 17, the Cleveland Zoological Society and the zoo dedicated the Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve on Tuesday morning. The $2.5 million upgrade more than doubles the size of the reserve that houses the zoo’s five critically-endangered Eastern black rhinos. It includes overhead shade with a misting system, a mud wallow and rubbing posts for the rhinos. The area is ADA compliant and also features a fully accessible viewing deck for zoo guests.
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Zoos and outdoor attractions where people stay in their cars, such as safari parks and drive-in cinemas, will be able to reopen from June 15 in the UK.
The Prime Minister will announce their reopening as lockdown restrictions in the UK continue to ease, as long as they follow certain safety precautions.
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The Cincinnati Zoo reopening is finally here, but like most places still under the grips of COVID-19 restrictions, it's going to look different. For starters, there will be far less people. Maximum visitor capacity will be reduced by 50% to 75% during its first reopening phase.
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San Diego County has given the green light for its famed San Diego Zoo to reopen and is allowing hotels to welcome back tourists just as summer vacation starts for many. Museums, galleries, aquariums, card rooms and wineries, along with other recreational outlets like gyms and community pools, will also be allowed to reopen Friday.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park will reopen to the public June 18 under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Phase 2 guidelines and new, safe guest experiences.
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Haven't got your Vancouver Aquarium or Whitecaps face mask yet? You're not alone. A spokesperson for the MLS team behind the initiative to save the cash-strapped tourist attraction said they've had to step up production and shipping efforts. The masks went on sale in April, after the aquarium made public its struggle to stay afloat financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mystic Aquarium’s outdoor exhibits are now open for visitors. Nathan Fague, director of safety and security, joined us with details on the precautions the Aquarium is taking to keep everyone safe. Fague said only 50% of the Aquarium’s visitors can enter, so it’s important to purchase your ticket in advance. Masks are required and they ask that visitors remain patient and observe social distancing rules.
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The Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the biggest tourist draws and economic engines in the region, has set down guidelines visitors can expect to see when it reopens. The Aquarium’s new protocols are designed to provide a safe environment for visitors by minimizing any chance of transmitting the coronavirus.
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The birth of a baby stingray at the Florida Aquarium was caught on camera Monday. The stingray pup, named Bimini, was born on June 8, ‘World Oceans Day.’ The stingray pup is the third to be born at the Florida Aquarium in recent weeks, joining Kitts and Nevis. All three are named after the geological regions in which they are found.
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NEWPORT, Kentucky (WKEF/WRGT) -- Newport Aquarium announced on Tuesday that, after months of actively developing plans, it will be reopening on June 22, exclusively for Annual Passholders. All guests will be allowed to return on June 25. The aquarium announced that it has added health and safety measures for guests and employees to follow.
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The plunge in commercial flying caused by Covid-19 is enabling some U.S. airports to speed up renovation and development projects, while for others, the dwindling revenue and altered demand forecasts are causing reconsideration of projects that aren’t already under construction.
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Amid reports of potential bankruptcy, substantial doubt about having enough cash to continue operating, and potential buyouts, AMC Theatres announced a reopening plan that includes nearly all of it’s U.S. movie theaters.
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The casino floor at the Linq will reopen Friday, according to Caesars Entertainment. The casino operator said the gaming floor and other property amenities will open at 11 a.m. following a “successful reopening weekend” at Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and Harrah’s.
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Could this be the answer to keeping passengers safe while flying without airlines having to reconfigure their cabins completely? A UK-based aircraft interior company has designed what it claims is an 'industry-first' anti-coronavirus personal protection window (PPW) for airline seats - which will be ready for use by mid-June.
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