Bemusement - The Attractions Industry Blog

Rachel Read

Rachel is a Director of Blooloop. She has an engineering degree and is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 year's industry experience. She writes about the attractions industry from a business perspective.

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Friday, January 11, 2013 ‘Englishnization’/ ‘disgalapagosisation’: globalisation the Rakuten way    Employees to learn English in 3 months and clean their own desks; globalisation strategy from the Japanese internet shopping giant Rakuten.
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Friday, March 23, 2012 Merlin Entertainments: LEGOLAND Windsor Hotel Review    I have to make a confession and say that I didn’t really “get” LEGOLAND until this weekend when I visited with my six year old son. The LEGOLAND Windsor hotel opened its doors last weekend and the Blooloop family were lucky enough to stay over on the press preview night and then check out the park the next day. ...View more

Monday, October 17, 2011 Dancing in the Park: LEGOLAND Florida Opens    LEGOLAND Florida, the fifth LEGOLAND park, and the biggest in the world opened this weekend. We have some great images showing the LEGOLAND party in full swing....View more

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 "And the bigger one is called a Giant Leonopterix" : Theme Park Designers on the Disney / Avatar News    Yesterday saw news that Walt Disney Parks will collaborate with filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. What does this development mean for Disney, for the theme park business, will it be a good (or logical) fit into Animal Kingdom and will Disney's HR team soon be looking for 9ft tall blue skinned applicants? We spoke to some leading theme park designers...
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Friday, August 12, 2011 Genting Singapore Plc second quarter results: 40% increase in visitors to Universal Studios Singapore    Genting Singapore Plc’s results for the second quarter show a 40% increase in visitors to Universal Studios Singapore compared with the first quarter and 40% increase in non-gaming revenues compared to Q2 2010. Genting set out a plan to continue development of Singapore Integrated Resorts to become "the premier resort destination for the affluent in Asia" and a nod towards Dubai with the construction of luxury accomodation.
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Saturday, August 06, 2011 Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea: OLC’s results for Q1 to 30 June 2011    Oriental Land Co. Ltd ’s Q1 results for Tokyo Disney Resort were significantly impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake; an extraordinary loss of ¥3.8 billion has been posted this quarter. But rigorous control over costs has mitigated the overall effect and attendance is back on track. ...View more

Friday, August 05, 2011 Tivoli’s three year strategy – enchanting guests whatever the weather, in AND out of the park    Tivoli retains its position in the top 5 European amusement parks but increased competition and inclement weather adversely affected the 2010 season according to the annual report. Attendance at 3.7 million was down 4% on 2009, due to a 7% decline in visitors for the summer. Tivoli have set out a three year strategic plan, Growth 2013, with a mission to “enchant our guests” and a vision to “be a leading, international experience brand”....View more

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Update on LEGOLAND Florida: John Jakobsen sets out Merlin Entertainment’s strategy for LEGOLAND parks    Set to open October 15th, LEGOLAND Florida, Merlin Entertainment’s biggest project to date, is already surpassing expectations with sales of annual passes having “smashed” the 10,000 unit target.   John Jakobsen, MD LEGOLAND Parks, gave an update earlier this week at LEGOLAND Windsor, on progress so far and his overall strategy for the LEGOLAND Parks. ...View more

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group sets out his six point growth driver plan    Marketing Week featured an exclusive interview with Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group, where he gives an insight into Merlin’s phenomenal growth.
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Thursday, May 12, 2011 Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Second Quarter Results: Operating Income 3% Down    Parks and Resorts revenues for the second quarter to 31 March 2011 increased by 7% to $2.6bn but operating income fell 3% to $145m, as the effect of the temporary closure of Tokyo Disney Resort, the timing of the Easter holidays and higher operating costs for the Disney Cruise Line offset higher guest spending and hotel occupancy in Paris, Hong Kong and the domestic parks and resorts.
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Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Euro Disney 2011 First Half Results: Revenues Up and Increased Capex    Euro Disney had some good news to report today: increased revenues, debt repayments to schedule and more capex allowed for 2011 and 2012....View more

Friday, April 08, 2011 “Kind of fun to do the impossible” – breaking ground at Shanghai Disneyland    After 10 years of negotiations with the Chinese Government, ground has finally been broken on the $3.7 billion first phase of Disneyland Shanghai. Disney CEO Bob Iger attended the April 8th ceremony which sees the beginnings of the sixth Disney theme park, the third in Asia. ...View more

Friday, April 01, 2011 Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, "The Parks are ready to reopen"    Tokyo Disney Resort® announced attendance figures for Tokyo Disneyland® Park and Tokyo DisneySea® Park of 25.4 million visitors for the year to March 31, 2011.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Theme Parks: Merlin Entertainments 2010 Results - Still Rocking Round the World    Despite difficult economic conditions in Europe and the US, Merlin Entertainments announced another set of impressive results today for 2010....View more

Thursday, March 10, 2011 Billionaires and BRICs: Attractions Trends    Forbes Magazine’s annual global ranking of billionaires records the rise of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Little wonder then that the Attractions Business is following the money.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Gamification: Why Chorewars doesn’t work and networking "IRL"    During the course of my research on gamification I came across a couple of examples that were interesting. Firstly, I was inspired to change my life by gamifying my household chores. We have significant issues with keeping our home clean and tidy with 3 children (ages 5, 10 and 12) and a large scruffy dog.
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Wednesday, February 09, 2011 Theme Parks:OLC up forecast to 27m visitors for 2011 - Creating Happiness at Tokyo Disney    In a world where we are bombarded with strategies to help us achieve personal happiness OLC, a company whose mission is literally to “create happiness and contentment” need no advice, having just announced exceptional third quarter results and an upward revision of their full year forecast. Blooloop looks at how OLC have mastered the “Art of Happiness”....View more

Monday, February 07, 2011 Theme Parks: Alton Towers harnesses the Wisdom of Friends - Facebook Places Deals launch in UK    Facebook has launched Places Deals in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Canada. Launched in the US in November, Deals is an add on to Facebook Places, an app where users check in their location. Deals takes this a step further by then offering users discounts and benefits at nearby shops, restaurants and venues.
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Saturday, January 22, 2011 Compagnie des Alpes: Q1 Sales and Creating a Walibi Universe    In keeping with their strategy set out in 2008, CDA are in the process of tidying up their portfolio with the divestment of non-core parks.   Cash generated from the sales as well as from refinancing debt in 2010 should give CDA “additional flexibility to carry out a selective and forward looking growth strategy, both organic and through acquisitions” [Dominique Marcel, Chairman and CEO December 2010].
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Friday, January 14, 2011 Pigs in Pythons: Capex at Disney and Universal    I came across a quote from Jay Rasulo (Senior Executive Vice President and CFO of The Walt Disney Company) recently which conjures up a vivid image. When describing where the company is in its capex cycle he said Disney’s theme parks and resorts are at “kind of a pig in the python in terms of our normal activity”.
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 A Few of my Favourite Things: A day at the IAAPA Expo    Raindrops on roses and 5D cinema….attending the IAAPA show is of course, as I tell my friends and kids, REALLY, REALLY hard work but it does have the odd perk. In the interest of market research I felt obliged to try everything I could. Here are some of my favourites from the floor…....View more

Saturday, December 18, 2010 Theme Parks: Merlin buys into Australia as CDA sells in Europe    Times may be tough but Merlin continue to buck trends with their ambitious strategy for world domination : “Our vision is to become the world-wide leader in branded, location based entertainment”.
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Friday, November 12, 2010 Theme Parks: Walt Disney Co’s 2010 results – Woody and Buzz do the business    The Walt Disney Company today reported earnings for the fiscal year and fourth quarter ended October 2, 2010: diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the year increased 15% to $2.03 from $1.76 in 2009 and for the quarter, diluted EPS was $0.43 compared to $0.47 in the prior-year....View more

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Theme Parks: A look at EuroDisney's 2010 results    EuroDisney results for the fiscal year 2010 announced today show an 8% increase in EDITDA but the €2billion debt burden continues to weigh heavily as the company reaches its limit on deferrals.
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Monday, November 08, 2010 Halloween in the UK: Mummies in Manchester    Having relocated to rural Devon (in the South West of England) from London 12 years ago, it would appear that I am completely out of touch with how enthusiastically Halloween has been adopted in the UK. We rarely trick or treat, but on a visit to friends in Manchester last weekend we found ourselves in the midst of an amateur but elaborately themed “Egyptian Mummy” scare spectacular.

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Friday, November 05, 2010 Not bad for a Boy Wizard! Universal's Magical Ride    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened June 18, 2010, has delivered the best quarterly results in Universal’s 20-year history. According to a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing, prior to Harry’s apparition at Universal, paid theme park admissions were 5% down on the previous year.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010 Compagnie des Alpes - poor weather and economic depression lead to a fall in sales for 2010    CDA reported sales today of €596.6m for 2010, up 4.1% on 2009 (a decline of 2.6% on a like-for-like basis). Leisure parks represent around 40% of total turnover for the Group with sales in this segment down 5.3% to €230.8 million (excl. Aqualibi); a return to 2008 levels after a record-breaking 2009. The decline has been attributed to the poor economic environment and unfavourable weather conditions.
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Monday, October 18, 2010 American Family Travellers: Optimistic but Looking for Value    A survey of American family travel patterns shows higher income travellers are optimistic about the future, internet savvy, keen for a bargain and interested in multigenerational staycations, timeshares and cruises.
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Friday, October 08, 2010 EuroDisney’s Strategy to 2030: Doubling Capacity and Eco Tourism    Euro Disney SCA’s* Amendment to the Main Agreement with the French Public Parties, signed September 14th, allows the pursuit of a strategy for the continued development of Euro Disneyland to 2030. Key elements of the strategy include doubling theme park capacity by adding a third park, and the creation of an eco tourism village. (Update 11/10 - 25% of debt to be paid back by 2013.)
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Tuesday, October 05, 2010 Genting Singapore Plc's Integrated Resorts-from Drawing Board to Reality    The growth of the middle classes in Asia is expected to fuel a boom in demand for world class attractions: Asia is forecast to comprise 43% of worldwide consumption by 2030. Singapore’s evolved tourism strategy and new integrated resorts have resulted in record visitor arrivals in 2010. Genting Singapore Plc's Q2 results show the financial impact of the new ventures....View more

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 OLC's 2013 Strategic Plan: Bringing Happiness    Oriental Land Co. Ltd celebrated its 50th birthday in 2010 by launching a 3 year strategic plan to grow sustainable corporate value.
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