Mickey Mouse may dominate the theme park industry in Florida and California, but the nation's hottest rivalry of stomach-churning coasters and thrill rides is found in this corner of the Midwest.

        Nowhere in the United States — outside of the tourism fun zones in Orlando and Anaheim — is there fiercer competition among amusement parks than among the four found in the 350 miles stretching from Lake Erie to Louisville, experts say.

        And with the parks opening in about a month, the regional competition — dominated for years by Paramount's Kings Island in Mason and Cedar Point in Sandusky — will be even more intense this summer, say those who track the amusement park industry.

        Much will be at stake for the 15,000 people who work at the four parks as the destinations battle for the millions of tourism dollars the industry generates every summer.

Workers at Paramount's Kings Island assemble the Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the worlds first inverted kiddie coaster, as the park prepares for April's opening. (Dick Swaim photo) | ZOOM |

        For consumers, the contest means they should expect an unprecedented advertising and marketing blitz from the four, which also includes Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville and Six Flags Ohio in Aurora.

        This year's competition is being triggered largely by the high-stakes acquisition of Sea World by its neighbor across Geauga Lake, Six Flags Ohio.

        Shamu and some of his aquatic pals have been hauled away, but the new Six Flags World of Adventure south of Cleveland promises to be a serious player in the war between regional amusement parks for Ohio's estimated 66 million tourists.

        “Six Flags has been aggressively going after the Ohio market in the last few years, first with Kentucky Kingdom (in Louisville), Geauga Lake and now with World of Adventure,” said Tim O'Brien, an editor with the amusement-industry trade publication Amusement Business. “They certainly aren't being shy about it either.”

        What does it all mean for Tristate thrill-seekers?

        • More high-flying rides. The parks are spending millions to build new attractions.

        • Competitive prices. Vacationers should see more special admission discounts as the parks jockey to be affordable.

        • More vacation options. Cedar Point, for instance, is adding Lighthouse Point on the Lake Erie shoreline. The 15-acre luxury camping complex will feature 50 cottages, 10 cabins and 59 RV campsites.

        The anticipated competition already has caught the attention of area residents. Anthony Robinson, 26, of West Chester, said talk of all the new developments at Six Flags Ohio has him contemplating a trip north this summer.

        In fact, Mr. Robinson — who says he goes to Kings Island at least once every summer and last year bought a season pass — may hit all three Ohio theme parks.

        “If everything I've heard about Six Flags is true, I definitely think it'll be worth the trip up there just to see what it's like,” Mr. Robinson said. “Though, I'm a little disappointed to hear about Shamu.”
       

Thrills yield profits

        Owners of the four parks are willing to risk millions in marketing and construction because the seasonal theme park business is huge in the Midwest. That's particularly true in Ohio, where more than 10 million people visited amusement parks last year.

        All those park visitors were a major factor in Ohio's $27 billion tourism market in 2000, said Scott Dring, a spokesman for the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism.

        He estimates that of the 145 million day trips vacationers took in Ohio last year, more than 24 million of them were to amusement parks. Amusement parks also accounted for 1.3 million of the 34 million overnight trips taken by Ohio tourists, Mr. Dring said.

        State research shows on average, a family of four in Ohio spends about $152 when they visit a regional amusement park. That compares with the $228 families spend at Orlando parks and the $205 they spend at Anaheim parks.

        The Buckeye State has earned attention because of its proximity to much of the nation's population.

        “If you draw a circle around it, Ohio is within a 500-mile radius of 60 percent of the U.S. population,” he said.

        Another plus: Ohio is the sixth most-visited state in the country and seventh most-populous state, he said.

        “Ohio is the ideal place for amusement parks to build and grow because unlike some other areas, it doesn't have a million other leisure alternatives to take away people's money,” said Harrison Price, a consultant and market analyst for the theme park industry and chairman of the Harrison Price Co.
       

Reputation grows

        As the tug-of-war for tourists prepares to kick off, industry watchers will be focused on Ohio.

        “Nobody can compare with Ohio, especially when it comes to thrills,” said Eric Minton, editor-in-chief of The Loop, an online amusement-industry trade publication.

        “In Ohio, you've got rides like The Beast, Millennium Force, Magnum, Superman Ultimate Escape and Son of Beast. You don't have that kind of collection of great, first-class roller coasters any other place in the country.”

        Mr. Minton, who has visited more than 100 amusement and water parks and sampled nearly 200 roller coasters, says Ohio is “at the crossroads of the old traditional amusement park of the Coney Island variety and the theme park of the Disney variety.”

        Bill Linkenheimer, president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), a group that crisscrosses the country sampling coasters, calls Ohio “a mecca destination for coaster fans.”

        The July 2000 issue of the group's newsletter led with the banner headline “Ohio is on Fire.”

        Mr. Linkenheimer said the region's roller-coaster race is making the state not only a regional destination, but also an international one.

        “These parks are really trying to reach out and grab the hearts and minds of thrillseekers and their families,” Mr. Linkenheimer said. “They are each trying to add things the other park doesn't have to set them apart. They are all trying to get the biggest piece of the pie.”

        In 2000, Cedar Point had the largest slice of the attendance pie. It led the four parks with more than 3.4 million guests, according to figures released by Amusement Business.

        Kings Island was next with 3.2 million guests. It was followed by Six Flags Ohio with 1.7 million, the now-defunct Sea World Ohio with 1.3 million and Kentucky Kingdom with 1.2 million guests.
       

So long, Sea World
        Some industry experts say the new Six Flags World of Adventure could capture the combined attendance of both Sea World and Six Flags Ohio, catapulting the park over 3 million visitors in 2001.

        World of Adventure, a new 750-acre “super park” on the shores of Geauga Lake in Portage County, combines the popular marine park with Six Flags' thrill rides and water park. The three parks will operate as one under a single-gate price.

        “People are going to want to see what Six Flags is doing and what is going to happen with the old Sea World,” Mr. Minton said. “So, their market is going to grow at least this year.”

        At 131 years old, Cedar Point is the second-oldest amusement park in North America. Experts say it could have the most at stake with the marriage of its two nearest competitors, which are about two hours away. At $37.99 for an adult admission, the new Six Flags park is $1 cheaper than Cedar Point.

        “I think we've definitely upped the ante, particularly in northern Ohio,” said Debbie Nauser, spokeswoman for Six Flags Inc. “We've created a three-parks-in-one experience that you can't get anyplace else.”

        Cedar Point and Kings Island officials are downplaying experts' predictions that competition among the four will be more sizzling than normal this summer. They intend, however, to remain aggressive while watching industry trends closely.

        “As long as Kings Island has been in existence, Six Flags (formerly Geauga Lake) and Sea World have been there attracting guests,” said Jeff Siebert, a Kings Island spokesman. “This is really just a rebranding or remixing of two properties that have always been there.”

        Amy Ballard, spokeswoman at Kentucky Kingdom, also said the Louisville park will not be intimidated by its sister park in Aurora.

        “We realize there is some heavy competition in our region, but we believe our product speaks for itself,” she said. “We have a safe, family-oriented operation that provides some of the best thrills in the country.”

        Kings Island officials are confident the Mason park will maintain its foothold in the southern Ohio market.

        “The only market area where we may somewhat overlap is in Columbus,” Mr. Siebert said.

        Cedar Point officials echoed those sentiments.

        “The competitive landscape in Ohio has changed a lot, but it is still too early to speculate on any impact that the merger will have on Cedar Point,” said Robin Innis, a Cedar Point spokesman. “Our strategy and goals will remain the same. However, we will keep a close watch on how things progress throughout the year.”

Ohio a thrill-seekers' delight
       

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