Blog #3

The tourism-dependent private enterprise I chose to review was Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. Six Flags is a successful theme park brand that has properties in 10 different states, and four different countries. They are most famous for their larger-than-life roller coasters. Each park is similar in content but have each one has unique differences. Magic Mountain is highly recognized as having some of the most intense roller coasters you can find, and is ranked in the top five in the world (www.coastergrotto.com). Being in the Los Angeles area, Magic Mountain attracts tons of tourists each year and keeps them coming back with their innovation and consistency.

I personally have been to Magic Mountain three times. The park is very well spaced out and the rides are grouped into sections a lot like Disneyland. One important thing that Magic Mountain incorporates into their theme park is the use of fast passes. We talked a lot about how this method was implemented at Disneyland, and it has been very successful at Magic Mountain as well. The fast pass allows the consumers much more time to take in more activities in the park with out using their time waiting in line. This ensures that there is smooth visitor flow within the park, and the response is more revenue from all sections ranging from food and beverage to merchandise. The way the park is set up also creates fluid visitor flow. The rides are grouped with different themes and food that create mini regions of the park and make the park very easily navigated. The lines are also strategically placed so there is not a clutter of people in the middle of the park.

My favorite part about the management of Six Flags is that they are never satisfied. They are always looking for the best and latest technology in rides, which means they are constantly improving and building new better roller coasters. This is key to repeat visitor motivation because people always want to ride newer, bigger, and faster roller coasters every time they come to the park. Also the use of Super heros and Super villains make the park more marketable to kids. It was a very smart venture for Six Flags to team up with DC comics to be able to incorporate figures such as Superman, Batman, and the Riddler into their rides. Another aspect that has been implemented by management is a very affordable season pass. This pass can be purchased for the price of one regular season admission, and is good for entry into the park for the whole year. This is a great idea because in these tough economic times, there needs to be incentives to draw people into the park. This way people are being attracted into the park and will spend the money they saved on admission on food and souvenirs that will in turn increase profits.

Magic Mountain has continued to be one of the premier theme parks in the nation and world, and will continue to be so if the management is always adapting and changing to fit consumers needs.

Source:

"Top 10 Roller Coasters." Coaster Grotto. Web. 29 Oct 2009. .