Busch Tampa attendance up, and they're not done yet

Interesting that they mention UK visitors, because on my last two November visits, it was kind of surprising to me at the number of Brits there. Our visits to Disney and Universal didn't seem to have such a high concentration.

------------------
Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

I'm surprised they had record attendance for Howl-O-Scream this year- it was a piece of crap. 5 of the 6 houses were the same (and by the same, I mean THE SAME), and the 6th house was totally lame. Busch should be ashamed of themeselves.

I might have an answer to this, having been in florida for my honeymoon a month ago - most Brits tend to stay in the Disney/Universal areas of Orlando, and opt not to have a hire car since the UK roads are worse than the US, and drivers of the family want a break!!! This means the only way they get to BGT is to use their shuttle service, which when we were there peaked at no less than TWENTY coachloads of people picking up from the Mercado alone, without the other resorts/parks/hotels etc... You'll probably find the park practically deserted of Brits after 5pm when the shuttles have gone back to orlando!

Disney and Universal are 'any time' parks as they're 'local' to where most of us Brits stay. We also tend to use our brains and avoid the summer heat (what with being a cold country here), and come during school time and after Labour Day to avoid most of the crowds.

That said, when we went to BGT, it was relatively quiet with walk-ons for most rides, as was everywhere else.

Baz

------------------
Barry Wellington

Yeah, you can't even speak English at BGT anymore, you have to speak British...I'm guessing that the warm water and nice beaches in the area are a big draw for them.

Orlando is ALL about Brazil, and has been for awhile...

I'm just glad all these tourists keep coming, even if they're not going to The Mouse House as much anymore...
------------------
Mistakes were made, others are to blame...

If attendance is up, why not add a new and exciting ride? It's been a few years, hasn't it?*** This post was edited by A.C.E.20 11/6/2003 11:43:30 AM ***

its just proves again that you got to keep bringing in the new.UK sounds like its been doing well.And Seasame Street is a great( Name Brand) to bring into the park. Finally ,we need more family oriented attractions.What a great umbrella.This is a beautiful park and is one of my favorites. The Theming is so close to Dinsey, First rate. Im very glad to here that the Park is Dong well on its end of the summer quarter.

I'll second that, gator. I have a relative that works for BGT, he says that by far the biggest foreign tourist group there is Brazilian.

He also gets two free cases of beer a month. Damn.

Two free cases a month? Forget engineering ...

------------------
Brett
Resident Launch Whore

I absolutely had a blast at Hallowscream. Little lines, great houses and also the most important part (that Universal should take a note of...): you dont need to go in a house for major scares!

In comparaison, Halloween Horror Nights was a nightmare. I shelled out the money for the Halloween Express and... its was a life saver. 60 minutes wait for every houses. How are you supposed to see everything in one night when there's 6 houses and the park is open from 7 pm to 12 am. There was little scare actors outside, so you were stuck waiting for houses to get a good scare!

Themer,

Bringing in the new is the best way to keep us Brit's coming back - since we live on an island, my longest drive to a theme park is 6 hours, which i do on an overnight trip, and i've got blackpool 4 hours away, thorpe park and chessington an hour away, and alton towers & drayton manor 3 hours away

All of these parks continually compete for the whole country's business (except that Thorpe Park and Chessington compete side-by-side instead of against each other) and are continually evolving - especially Thorpe Park - they've been putting in new attractions year on year with the determination of becoming the best park in the south.

Us Brits are a fussy old bunch and like to go back to a place when it's done something new - there's always something new at BGT to see, and more often than not there's something new at Disney, resulting in the obligatory "since we're here we'll go to the others too".

Baz

------------------
Barry Wellington

bazzaniod,, glad you think so.. keep coming back to Busch Gardens , It s great for bussiness and I glad that you have a good time...

A.C.E.20.....I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!!!! Seriously now, 4 years since the whole of Florida has gotten anything major (when was Rockin Roller Coaster?) and I think its about time for another but the problem is probably just that the parks are running out of room.
*** This post was edited by Stan 11/7/2003 7:03:58 PM ***

How about Mission: SPACE? Its "only" a 100 million dollars ride.

*** This post was edited by Absimilliard 11/8/2003 1:08:55 AM ***

Uhh...I meant...Uhh...you know like roller coasters :)

I wouldn't be surprised if BGT is planning their next coaster as we speak. The Busch parks are not ones to just throw up a coaster in the middle of a field without planning - hell, I wouldn't mind waiting a year or two more for another coaster the caliber of Montu or Kumba.......... I'm not sure if simply adding a coaster does much for attendance at a park that offers so much more than that anyway. BGT is a bit of an unusual bird, even amongst the Busch parks.

------------------
"That's DOCTOR Evil. I didn't spend six years in evil medical school to be called 'Mr. Thank You Very Much.'"

Stan - running out of room?

Have you seen how much land the house of mouse owns?

------------------
Barry Wellington

When you think about it Montu came just three years after Kumba, and Gwazi came but three years after that.

Also, Bazzanoid, I meant parks that actually build roller coasters on their land. Disney doesn't do much in the way of roller coasters with its land, just dark rides (no I do not consider Primeaval Whirl much of a Roller coaster).

I really meant parks like IOA and BGT and Seaworld when I said that.
*** This post was edited by Stan 11/10/2003 10:08:23 AM ***

Very true... my apologies!!!

------------------
Barry Wellington

Hey gang! New HUGE drop coaster coming early '05! Stand by for more info as it becomes public. Yes, it's true...two cases a month. Fine A/H product! Hallo-Scream was a hoot! If you didn't have a great time, you're just too damn hard to please. Bring on more Brits, we love 'em (and their Euros!)*** This post was edited by Buschcateer 12/13/2003 9:28:09 PM ***