The Amusement Industry Goes Online

The amusement industry has launched its first consumer-oriented web site, TicketForFun.com, which provides detailed travel information in time for what the tourism industry predicts will be a prosperous 2004 travel season. Consumers can now search for discounts, promotions, and new features at their favorite places.

According to a study conducted by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), 51 percent of Americans intend to visit an amusement park in 2004. And of the nearly 40 percent of individuals who visited amusement parks in 2003, 84 percent said they are likely to return this year.

For 2004, more than 110 new park rides are available, including many innovative attractions that maximize the appeal of popular, pre-existing brands from television, movies, and popular culture.

Visitors in 2004 will also discover new technologies that are making visits to amusement parks and attractions more convenient and fun. Many parks now reduce wait times at the "gate" by selling admission tickets on the Internet. Wait times in lines at rides are also shrinking, as new devices that assign ride times for guests are growing in popularity.

Finding fun places to go this summer -- in addition to new rides, convenient technologies, coupons and discounts -- is now easier. Consumers can use TicketForFun.com's innovative FunFinder directory and map to search for amusement parks, water parks, attractions, zoos, aquariums, museums, and family entertainment centers throughout the world. The TicketForFun.com FunFinder directory provides links to attraction web sites, and IAAPA recommends that consumers "click through" to those sites and search for discounts, promotions, and new features at their favorite places.

TicketForFun.com also offers helpful FunTips that can maximize safety and fun during a visit to an amusement park, attraction, or waterpark. The tips include:

* Dress comfortably, but avoid open-toed shoes and dangling clothing or jewelry.
* Protect yourself with sunscreen and a hat, even on cloudy days. * Observe all posted rules, and follow the verbal instructions given by ride operators.
* Always use the safety equipment provided and do not attempt to wriggle free of restraints.

More FunTips and information can be found on TicketForFun.com, where guests can also sign up to receive exclusive news and information from the amusement industry.

Amusement Industry FunFacts In 2003, amusement parks in the US attracted an overall attendance of more than 320 million people, provided 1.5 billion "rides," and yielded an estimated $10.3 billion in revenues. For more FunFacts, go online to http://www.TicketForFun.com

SOURCE International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Web Site: http://www.iaapa.org http://www.TicketForFun.com