The wet start to July proved to be a damp squib for the country's theme parks and water parks.
Skara Sommarland is faring the worst, having lost a quarter of its visitors compared to last year.
”From one day to another, or from one week to another, we are reasonably weather-dependent. But what we have been able to see from one season to another, it does not differ so much,” says Christer Fogelmarck, CEO of Parks and Resorts.
So far, visitor numbers at Gröna Lund in Stockholm, which is the group's biggest attraction, are down 3 per cent compared to last year. The amusement park Furuvik has also seen a 4 per cent drop. Skara Sommarland, which boasts Scandinavia's largest water park, has seen a 23 per cent decline compared to the same period last year.
On the winning side Kolmården, which lacks bathing facilities, increased by 22.5 percent since it opened at Easter.
The group has cross-referenced visitor statistics from the past ten years with the SMHI weather statistics and concluded that Kolmården Zoo is the facility that has proven to be most sensitive to heat.
”That's the explanation for why Kolmården is up so much this year. It's also the explanation for why Skara Sommarland is down so much.”
Competitor Liseberg has so far had just over a million visitors, which is about five percent fewer than last year. Vice president Tina Resch blames this on the cold and wet start to the summer.
According to her, the weather is the The single biggest risk factor for the industry. Optimal weather is when it's dry – but not as hot as last year
”The weather being good for swimming is our main competitor. Around 19, 20 degrees is optimal weather, just like we've had it for the past two weeks,” she says.
Other factors affecting profitability include the economic climate and changing visitor preferences. According to Christer Fogelmarck, the global trend is towards longer stays.
”The trend in our entire industry is that we must develop a total experience consisting of both good food, lovely parks, and good accommodation. If we don't have a good experience and something that attracts people, visitors won't come, regardless of the weather.”
Source: TT
