Breaking Point? New Report Shows That Over Half of All Americans Have Been Priced Out of a Theme Park Vacation

It’s been a slow summer for the theme park industry. Despite gains by Disney and Universal, most of the smaller theme park companies are struggling, and Forbes found out why.

In a recent report, Forbes looked at the number from theme parks this summer and found that despite gains from Disney and Universal, theme park spending nationwide was down five percent over last summer. This decline came from a specific group of Americans.

While higher-priced theme parks like Disney and Universal saw gains with higher-income Americans, theme parks nationwide saw a decline with families making less than $100,000. That accounts for 61 percent of all American families.

So, what’s causing this income gap among theme park guests, and why is it impacting Americans right now?

There is a general overall fear over the economy’s direction among lower-income Americans. According to the University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Expectations, which focuses on consumers’ outlooks for their future personal finances and the long-term economy, is down 21 percent over last year.

Many Americans are focused on the price of consumer goods and not necessarily focusing on a theme park vacation. On the other hand, higher-income Americans are generally positive about the economy, given the state of the stock market, and are willing to spend more money on theme park vacations.

Destination parks like Disney and Universal, which tend to cost significantly more than regional parks, saw spending increase by 8 percent at Disney and 22 percent at Universal from May through July. At the same time, regional parks, which cater to lower-income Americans who can afford to spend a day at the parks, saw spending drop significantly.

United Parks and Destinations, which owns SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, saw a four percent decrease, while Six Flags saw an eight percent decline. These declines are partially fueling Six Flags’ current issues.

Despite the decline in visitors, Disney and Universal Parks saw increased revenues, while United Parks and Six Flags saw declines.

This new report could be the breaking point for theme park pricing, but with the wealthy carrying parks to new heights, this could just be the wave of the future, and a sign that theme parks aren’t for everyone anymore.

Do you think theme park pricing has reached a breaking point for most Americans? Let us know in the comments.