A recent Bloomberg report says that Americans have been put off attending theme parks so far this year by “extreme weather”.
The report cites analysis of cellphone mobility data that suggests a 9.6% average decrease in foot traffic over the 30 days through June 20 across Universal’s US locations. Six Flags data suggests a 17% decrease. No official figures are available yet but there are reports suggesting that Disney attendance is lower than usual.
Climate change
There are many factors that can cause a theme park goer to decide to stay at home: affordability, lack of new rides, captivating at-home entertainment or a reticence to undertake international travel. However, this is the first time that I can recall seeing a headline about extreme weather causing lower attendance.
Can we start to call this what it is? Let’s join the dots and say that this is “climate change” or even “global warming”. A bit like Voldemort’s name, saying the words gives us power and encourages action.
2025 is a pivotal year for tackling the challenge of climate change. We’re just 5 years off 2030 and 2024 was yet again the hottest year on record. The science is clear; climate change is real, happening and a threat to us all.
Economic imperative
If we’re starting to feel the economic impact of climate change then isn’t it just sensible to treat it like any other business risk and do something?
Disney, PortAventura and many other wonderful theme park operators already have excellent sustainability plans and goals. They would be delighted if suppliers started showing up with their own carbon footprints and reduction plans. It will make business sense for suppliers to help operators achieve their targets.
Emily Dow, Design Studio Executive with Walt Disney Imagineering at greenloopWhen it comes to solving really big challenges, like how do we build sustainable theme parks, resorts and cruise ships around the world, it takes all of us and all of these different industries coming together.
… Our collaboration is key to really think about how we build sustainable themed entertainment experiences.
The 89 Percent Project is based on the stat that between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to do more to address climate change. Consumers will expect corporations to show up and will eventually vote with their feet and wallets.
What can you do?
There’s a lot of help and information out there. Some great groundwork has already been done and it’s not too late to start. We have compiled a list of links to useful organisations resources here. You can access blooloop’s sustainability coverage via our dedicated sustainability page. You can also join our sustainability LinkedIn group.
Through our sustainability conference, greenloop, we have spent the last 5 years speaking to attractions industry leaders across all sectors about their ESG strategies, searching out inspirational projects and stories. We have also interviewed world leading climate scientists about climate change, the impact for our industry and what they think we should be doing. You can access all this content on demand here.
We ask for £24 to access this content to cover the costs of the platform, but if anyone can’t afford that then please do get in touch.
Nick Merriman, former chief executive at English Heritage at greenloopMy exhortation always is do something, for God’s sake. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good… If you can’t do everything, just start.
Image credit: KC Green
