Attractions info and attendance from both sides of the Atlantic collected by Tracy Kahaner, Kahaner Research
Franklin Roosevelt pioneered Presidential Libraries; “Confertainment” pays for Europa-Park
See also: Village Roadshow / Smithsonian Museums / Universal Parks / Cedar Fair / Disneyland Paris / Tokyo Disney
About Presidential Libraries (United States)
...13 presidential libraries in the US are administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
… Not all presidential libraries are within the NARA system. The libraries of Abraham Lincoln (Springfield, IL), William McKinley (Canton, OH), Rutherford Hayes (Fremont, OH), Calvin Coolidge (Northampton, MA), and Woodrow Wilson Libraries (Staunton, VA) are among those not administered by NARA.
… Libraries not operated by NARA are typically run by private foundations, historical societies or state governments. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, for example, is owned and operated by the State of Illinois.
NARA Presidential Libraries and Locations
… The thirteen libraries administered by NARA include: Herbert Hoover (West Branch, IA), Franklin D. Roosevelt (Hyde Park, NY), Harry S. Truman (Independence, MO), Dwight D. Eisenhower (Abilene, KS), John F. Kennedy (Boston), Lyndon B. Johnson (Austin, TX), Richard Nixon (Yorba Linda, CA), Gerald R. Ford (Ann Arbor, MI), Jimmy Carter (Atlanta), Ronald Reagan (Simi Valley, CA), George H.W. Bush (College Station, TX), William J. Clinton (Little Rock, AR), and George W. Bush
… 2013 is the year scheduled for the opening of the new, permanent George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. This library is currently located in a temporary facility in Lewisville, TX.
History of NARA Presidential Libraries
… It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who proposed creating the first Presidential Library to house the Presidential papers and g
ifts accumulated during his administration. He wanted this Library to be a part of the National Archives, an institution he nurtured from its establishment in 1934.
… Originally, a President's library was usually located in their hometown. Today, presidential libraries are often located in places more associated with their adult life or career. Affiliation with a university has become common.
Attendance at NARA presidential libraries in Year 2009
Reagan 336,647
Johnson 234,974
Clinton 233,345
Kennedy 206,485
Eisenhower 177,333
Bush (GHW) 142,142
Ford 116,014
Roosevelt 115,305
Truman 76,909
Nixon 69,612
Hoover 65,432
Carter 51,812
Bush (GW) data not yet available
Total 1,826,000
Source: NARA
About Europa-Park (Rust, Germany)
Total number of visitors since the park opened in July 1975: more than 78 million
2008 Season
Total visitors (summer + winter): more than 4 million
First time visitors: 21%
Repeat visitors: 79%
Visitors who stayed several days: 28%
Families: 70%
Visiting from: Germany, 50%; Switzerland, 19%; France, 19%, Other countries, 12%
Average age: 28.5 years
Average duration of stay: 8.5 hours
Average journey to park: approx. 2.1 hours
Trends reported by Europa-Park
• Increase of visitors: Very good price-performance ratio.
• Decoration/atmosphere is changed constantly (depending on the season), which increases repeat visits
• Guests of Europa-Park also visit other tourist destinations in the region.
• The trend towards a destination for short holidays is evident in the patronage of the adjacent 4-star hotels “Colosseo” and “Santa Isabel.”
• Conferences – what Europa-Park calls “confertainment” represent significant business for the park.
Source: Europa-Park
Images:
Top & bottom - Kind permission Europa-Park
Middle - President Kennedy inspects Mercury capsule, 23 February 1962
Cape Canaveral, Florida, Hangar "S"
Date: February 23, 1962
Photograph by Cecil Stoughton, White House, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.