Posted
[Ed. note: The following is an unedited press release. -J]
For the first time in its 60-year history, Holiday World today exceeded one-million visitors in a single season.
“It took us till the final day of the season, but we did it!” says park president Will Koch. “This is quite a milestone. We’re very grateful to all the families who came to visit this season.”
With a final count of 1,005,000 Guests, this is the first year Holiday World & Splashin' Safari ended the season with attendance figures topping the one-million mark. Koch credits the season’s 15-percent growth to the addition of The Voyage roller coaster along with continued concentration on cleanliness and friendliness.
“So much of the credit goes to the incredible service and hospitality provided by our outstanding Hosts and Hostesses,” Koch says. “It doesn’t matter how great your rides are if the employees are rude and the bathrooms are filthy. We are very appreciative of our hard-working staff.”
In August, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari were awarded four coveted “Golden Ticket Awards” from Amusement Today magazine. The publication’s readers, who are well-traveled park enthusiasts from around the world, voted the southern Indiana parks the world’s #1 Friendliest and #1 Cleanest again this year. The “Best New Ride” award went to The Voyage, which was also ranked the #2 Wooden Coaster, and the “Best New WaterPark Ride” designation was given to the new Bahari River in Splashin' Safari.
Koch says the parks’ strong growth pattern should continue next year with the addition of Bakuli family water slide and Turkey Whirl, a new themed tilt-a-whirl. The $4.5 million expansion is expected to increase attendance by another five percent and create an additional 50 seasonal jobs in 2007.