Top 10 Reasons Why Theme Park Guests Leave Unhappy

We all want to create magical experiences for guests, right? Try as we might, sometimes theme park guests leave our destinations unhappy at the experience they've had.

• Can we do anything to eradicate these issues?

• Would doing so positively benefit revenue, reputation and repeat visits?

• What can we implement earlier in the design to make parks better?

We've delved into the mind's and heart's of global theme park visitors to understand what turns their magical day into a day to forget, starting in ascending order.

10 - Provisions for young children

This surprised us, but we estimate that 3.5% of theme park visitors have raised complaints or have issues with the provisions of entertainment for children aged between 0-5. While many parents were naturally disgruntled that their child didn't reach the required height for certain coasters, others were left disappointed by the quality of character interactions in particular.

Neglecting the family unit can become a real impact on commercial returns. One unhappy child makes for one or two unhappy parents/guardians. Are you doing enough for this age group?

9 - Parking and transportation

4.5% of visitors have provided negative feedback on the inconvenience of far away car parks and lack of internal transport to the park. Tired legs from a busy day's fun makes for a gruelling walk back to the car park - an especially difficult journey for those with younger children, in particular. Friction is also felt with what can be high prices of parking, especially when there is a lack of monorail/electric vehicles to aide guests to the park in off-peak seasons.

It's challenging to bring parking closer when theme parks are large developments, as it is for operators to justify running their internal mode of transport when visitor numbers are a tenth of what they typically are. Perhaps implementing some more psychological tricks can help overcome the issue and protect the memory of a great day out?

8 - Unmet expectations

Ouch! 5% of theme park visitors say that their visit has simply been tarnished by the park not living up to their expectations. Mismatched marketing and idealised influencers can be a huge part of this issue, but in this research, we found the issue to be due to guests previously visiting 'better' competitiors.

We have and are seeing huge investment across the leisure and entertainment industry, which is heightening guest expectations. How do you rank compared to your nearest competitors, both geographically and psychographically?

7 - Entrance innefficiencies

The last 5-10 years has seen a huge switch in the industry to digital e-tickets at theme park gates, in the hope of providing a frictionless experience. And yet, 6% of guests still list the entrance as a source of frustration. While the pre-signing of digital waivers ahead of a visit, has been welcomed, guests are still frustrated.

As designers, creators, operators and investors in theme parks, our industry should understand that this emotion has foundations in eagerness and excitement. A long drive (followed by a long walk from the car park) to then be greeted by a large entrance queue - can be demoralising. How can we make the entrances even more of a spectacle to ensure guests enjoy their arrival more?

6 - Staff

Service, quality and attitude of staff were a complaint for 6.5% of theme park guests globally. "Impatient" and "inexperienced" staff interactions has left guests questioning their return to parks.

This industry-wide issue continues to be one that is tackled in various ways - through better staff training, talent retention strategies, or, replacing people with technology. But we shouldn't forget that guests come to park for a purely human experience and connection - making their desire for staff engagements even higher. They are, after all, the face of the theme park we are visiting?

5 - Ride availability

7.5% of theme park guests lament the missed opportunity to ride the coaster that was on their wishlist for the day, due to technical difficulties and operational inconsistency. Even cancelled shows during off-peak seasons were mentioned as being a point of negativity.

This multifaceted issue will vary hugely from park-to-park, with sometimes, little chance of knowing what may breakdown today. What guests appreciate most is efficient honesty. They want to squeeze as much fun into their day as possible, how can you make that happen if their favourite ride stops working?

4 - Lack of public amenities

This is the 4th biggest reason guests leave unhappy, but it is probably the easiest to fix. 8.5% of theme park guests complain of physical discomfort due to a lack of amenities when they need them most. Benches to rest their feet, shaded areas in sunny weather and better accessibility routes were all mentioned.

As we have already witnessed with the car parking challenge, it can be the smallest issues that have the biggest impact on a guest's experience. When did you last review your amenities for tired guests? Is it time for a rethink on those populous areas?

3 - Cleanliness

Even industry best practice states that, "a dirty, bad-smelling park with detract from the overall guest experience", but still to this day, almost 1-in-10 guests complain about the state of theme park cleanliness. Bins, toilets and unkept areas of the park are the three biggest concerns.

Operationally, parks are always going to have high numbers of daily users of toilets and bins - but is there more they can learn from the best shopping centres and airports in the world?

2 - Value for money

12.5% of theme park guests have complained about value for money, with the issue spanning both the admission ticket and the spend on F&B and merchandise. Previous industry research by Botrista found that "Satisfaction" of beverages at theme parks stands at only 60%.

Today, we live in a complex economic situation where disposable income is shrinking, but consumers are still willing to pay a premium for enhanced experiences. How could the industry better balance the expectations of guests versus their hard-earned cash?

1 - Excessive wait times

Are you surprised to see this at number one? A fifth (20%) of global guests leave the park unhappy due to a prolonged ride wait time. As well as long queues, guests also raised the issue of poor crowd management in the same breath, leading to frustration and exhaustion.

Wait times, in the eyes of the guest, are also linked to the perceived value of the day. Much has been done in the larger theme parks to provide entertainment and theming in queue lines - but can more be done to ease the operational pinchpoints? As much as they create frustration, do queue lines actually provide a positive psychological experience - as guests revel in the collective anticipation and trust in their forthcoming experience?

Enhance your guest experience

We design more than just the physical guest experience at theme parks and visitor attractions. We delve deep into understanding your visitor's thoughts, feelings and actions - providing you with a clear understanding on how to improve the emotional experience that guests have.

Speak to us today about how we can audit, calculate and redesign the moments that matter in your theme park.