It's all about rides, shows and fun at amusement parks and each year we flock to them to be entertained and enjoy the wildest of roller coaster thrills. What new rides and excitements can we expect at the parks in 2017?
"Globally, amusement parks and attractions entertain more than 1 billion people annually, and the key to the industry's success is its ability to bring guests back year after year by creating new and unique experiences," said Colleen Mangone,
director, media relations of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. "In 2017, guests are sure to enjoy new rides and attractions which involve everything from virtual reality, pop culture, and video games, to roller coasters, water slides, and more."
Mangone said that 2017 should see a continuation of a recent trend of parks adding hotels, which provide guest convenience and allow for a multi-day visit. "We see more and more restaurants and hotels opening near stand-alone attractions creating mini-destinations which can turn a three-hour trip into an all-day or multi-day outing," she said.
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the global organization for the $39.5 billion attractions industry, some of the newest trends in amusement parks include virtual reality, video games, dinosaurs, and robots. For example, Plopsaland De Panne in De Panne, Belgium, has a new virtual reality wooden roller coaster called "Heidi The Ride." It reaches speeds of more than 43 mph.
SeaWorld, which will open new rides/experiences in three of their parks in 2017, debuts The Kraken Virtual Reality (VR) Roller Coaster in summer 2017 at SeaWorld Orlando. Guests embark on a deep sea mission alongside sea creatures inspired by extinct and legendary animals of the past, including the Kraken.
The Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster brings the reality of jet skiing across a body of water where riders lean into exciting hairpin turns. The InvadR will launch at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and is a new one-and-a-half minute ride on a wooden roller coaster, which includes more than a 70 foot drop.
"The Walking Dead" is a hit television show and now Triotech hopes it will be just as popular as an immersive amusement park experiece when "Fear the Walking Dead - The Experience on Fremont Street" opens in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2017.
"Attractions themed with a well-known intellectual property are a hit with theme park guests because they instantly understand the premise, environment and basic story line," said Christian Martin, vice president of marketing for Montreal-based Triotech. "They are also popular with operators - theme parks and others - because of precisely the same reason; the public already knows the brand which makes marketing the attraction easier for the operator."
On that note, the "Ghostbusters 5D" dark ride comes to Heide Park in Soltau, Germany. Riders go inside Lord Explorus' Warehouse and become part of a 5-D ghost hunting experience with the help of laser guns and 3-D glasses.
Around the world, Japan has opened their doors to Legoland, with more than than 40 rides, shows and attractions. The park features seven different lands, including Lego Factory, Bricktopia, Adventure, Knight's Kingdom, Lego City, Pirate Shores, and Miniland.
In June 2017, Croatia opens its first theme park, FunPark Mirnovec, with 26 attractions including two roller coasters -- "Alien 8," which features spinning ride compartments, and the inverted steel coaster "Space Witch." Movie Park Germany in Bottrop, opens "Star Trek: Operation Enterprise," a movie-themed launch roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides.
Demark introduces Djurs Sommerland in Nimtofte, which reaches a whopping 98 feet a maximum speed of 52 mph.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, introduces a double-launch roller coaster, "Walk The Big One," which features 15 interactions and allows riders to experience the same levels of G-forces as felt by the driver of a Formula 1 car.
Wonderland in Maple, Ontario adds "Muskoka Plunge" with a drop of almost 60 feet and slides through S-curves and 360-degree loops at speeds of approximately 24 mph.
The amusement park industry is definitely growing and the next year will be exciting to watch the launch of all of these new rides and attractions.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
