Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30 Philip Hernandez

Universal is testing a ‘Premium Scream Night’ package that allows guests to ‘preview’ Halloween Horror Nights the night before opening – will it perform better than Taste of Terror, and can smaller attractions try something similar? Also, Saudi Arabia expands its tourist bubble with its first gender-inclusive wave pool; Illuminarium Las Vegas introduces a show inspired by Hasbro’s Lite-Brite; and why ‘Disney Dreams That Soar’ is the best thing to happen to Disney Springs in years.

IAAPA Expo Asia concluded last week, having returned to Thailand after 17 years. The show welcomed 4,623 verified attendees, 352 exhibiting companies, and 3,187 qualified buyers from 2,480 companies. Philip attended the show, and we recap his takeaways in this episode. 

Philip visited Fantasy Springs and has a trip report to discuss. Scott believes the era of food festivals is over, and Halloween Horror Nights has already announced 5 haunted houses.

This week: Arrivals in Japan are set to surpass the annual record of 31.9 million seen in 2019, but this is causing friction among the locals; Qiddiya Investment Co. incorporates SEVEN to advance the Saudi entertainment industry; United Parks reports slight gains to start the year; and Cedar Fair and Six Flags are Struggling in Q1. 

Airbnb debuted 11 Icon experiences as part of its Summer 2024 Release and many of them are full-on themed experiences. As a bonus episode, Philip brings you into the room where Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky unveiled the Icon experiences. Explore the detailed theming of all 11 experiences in the full recording of the Airbnb press conference. See photos from Airbnb here.

Disney finally saw a profit in streaming, so why did its stock fall 10%? One answer could be theme park jitters. The "evidence of a global moderation from peak post-Covid travel" has raised concerns for Disney, despite the approval of DisneylandForward, robust Halfway to Halloween announcements, and new research showing travel spending in California reaching an all-time high of $150.4 billion in 2023. This week, we dig into all the numbers to determine whether the concern is warranted.