Amusement parks face toughest year

SANDUSKY — What should have been a season of celebration marking 150 years of fun at Cedar Point turned into the summer it faced the greatest threat ever to the amusement park industry. The COVID-19 pandemic forced parks to close in the spring or delay their openings. "Amusement parks remained open during the Great Depression, the energy crisis, 9/11 and the recession," said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. "But we have never been hit by anything like this before." Operating during a pandemic For a time, it appeared uncertain if Cedar Point would even open this year because of the pandemic, and when it did in July, it was for a season unlike any other. Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark said the most challenging part of the opening was designing a robust operational plan for a pandemic. "Every part of the operation — from rides to hotel rooms to ticketing — all had to be reviewed, revised and updated to meet COVID-19 health and safety standards," Clark said. "We've worked diligently with health experts and the Erie County Health Department to ensure we're going above and beyond what's required and expected, as safety is always our No. 1 priority." The park had to cut its maximum capacity in half, limit riders on certain rides and implement new requirements like health screenings and mandatory face masks. Health experts have applauded Cedar Point's reopening plan. But, while it's necessary, Speigel said it and other similar methods at parks create hardships making it less likely for people to attend. "The thing guests disdain the most is wearing masks, especially in a humid summer," Speigel said. "It's uncomfortable." By August, Cedar Point removed its reservation service and changed its schedule to weekends only. The park doesn't release attendance figures, but many people speculated these decisions were due to lack of attendance since parks across the country have suffered diminished crowds. "While there was optimism initially when amusement parks were allowed to operate with restrictions, the attendance numbers have been below the government-mandated capacity limits," said Swathi Ravichandran, director of Bowling Green State University's Cedar Fair Resort and Attraction program. Despite this, Cedar Point insists its operations have gone smoothly given the difficulty of the season. "We're pleased with the operation overall, including our guests' willingness to follow guidelines, as we navigate through this," Clark said. "It's not easy for anyone, but this is the current environment that we're all in, together." Declining profits The temporary closure and lower attendance have made parks' revenue drop faster than a dive coaster. Cedar Fair, Cedar Point's parent company, recorded a $429 million dip in revenue in the second quarter. Speigel's organization estimates the pandemic has cost the industry as a whole about $20 billion in losses as of Sept. 1. "It's been the most catastrophic event our industry has ever incurred," Speigel said. "It's felt by the biggest operators like Disney, down to the small mom-and-pop operations." Speigel added that these losses affect other businesses that rely on parks to bring people to the area, including hotels, restaurants and other resorts. Ravichandran said the tourism industry faces a projected loss of $1 trillion for 2020, leaving upwards of 100 million jobs at risk. "This will be the lowest attendance and revenue year for everybody," Speigel said. "2020 is a write-off year for our entire industry." The future Speigel doesn't believe the industry will get back to its previous attendance and revenue until 2022. "It's not going to bounce back quickly," he said. "We've never before seen the fear in the marketplace from our patrons that COVID-19 has caused. People aren't coming back." Ravichandran has a more optimistic view and believes the industry should recover with the development of vaccines and other therapeutics. "The tourism industry is incredibly resilient and has seen its fair share of challenges over the decades," Ravichandran said. "As an avid international traveler myself, I believe we will get on planes, trains and automobiles to travel again soon." Ravichandran and Speigel agree the lessons learned during the pandemic could lead to future innovations in the industry. "Necessity is the mother of all innovation," Ravichandran. "As parks come up with creative ways to problem-solve this year, I am sure they will analyze their practices to determine which of their procedures should continue beyond COVID-19."