Tourism drop dampens theme parks biz.

Tourism drop dampens theme parks biz

But parks seeking local business fare well this summer

Turnstiles are twisting at Southland theme parks geared for locals this summer, but parks that depend on tourists for a large portion of their revenues are in dog days.

Attendance at Magic Mountain in Valencia was 5 percent higher during June 1991 than during June 1990, and this increase comes on the wake of higher admission prices, according to spokeswoman Courtney Simmons. Eighty percent of Magic Mountain's customers are from Southern California, Simmons said.

And attendance at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park is "slightly ahead of last summer at this point," according to Stuart Zanville, the theme park's spokesman. Seventy-five percent of those who attend Knott's Berry Farm live in Southern California, Zanville added.

But tourists have a major impact on Southland amusement parks, and tourism is down, Zanville said.

Los Angeles hotel occupancy, a tourism gauge, was off 9.6 percent during first quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the Los Angeles office of Pannell Kerr Forster, an international accounting firm.

So parks that are tourist-dependent reported a decline in attendance so far this summer.

Disneyland business is off, for instance. "We are down from last year, there's no doubt. But it's picking back up and we're optimistic about the rest of the summer," said Disneyland spokesman Greg Albrecht. Half of Disneyland's customers are tourists.

Likewise, at Universal Studios Hollywood, "Our business is not as good as it was last year," said spokeswoman Joan Bullard. Seventy percent of those who have visited Universal Studios during a typical summer week this season are from outside Southern California, she added.

Even in the best of times, the Southland theme park industry is highly competitive. "There's probably more theme parks in Southern California than in any other place in the world," noted Tony Christopher, president of North Hollywood-based Landmark Entertainment Group, which designs theme park attractions.

But rivalry typically isn't hitting ticket prices. Admission prices at Magic Mountain rose a buck to $24 this spring and adult ticket prices at Universal Studios recently went to $24.50 from $22.50. Disneyland halted its wintertime discount to Southern California residents, and is back to admitting every adult for $27.50 apiece.

Knott's Berry Farm has held its adult ticket price at $21.95 for about a year. But it has lowered its children's admission price to $9.95 from $17, a move Zanville said is at least partly responsible for the park's upswing in attendance.

Lowering the children's admission price is just one example of promotions the parks are using this summer, although most spokesmen say park officials aren't advertising more or adding extra frills to offset the effects of the recession.

Promotions certainly haven't been curtailed, though. Universal Studios, for instance, just completed a promotion with McDonald's restaurants.

Magic Mountain, on the other hand, tries to attract return customers by opening a new ride each year, spokeswoman Courtney Simmons said. This spring the park debuted "Psyclone," a $5 million roller coaster fashioned after the Coney Island, New York "Cyclone" ride, Simmons said.

Universal Studios opened several new attractions this year, including "E.T.'s Adventure," housed in a 60,000-square-foot soundstage, and an attraction serving as a tribute to Lucille Ball, Bullard said.

Knott's Berry Farm's approach to attracting customers differs slightly; park officials introduce a new attraction every other year. Since 1991 is a year in which no new ride is slated, the park is instead spending more than $1 million to provide live entertainment at the park this summer. "We have spent almost as much on the entertainment as we would on a new ride," Zanville said.