News: The latest (water) resort

But (in regards to Sandusky), I don't think we're that far off.

Probably not. I think the one that is in planning right now is the last major resort that the area can sustain without adding something else to draw people besides CP.

Maybe I don't understand life in Wisconsin, but I don't really see how that little town is any different than Sandusky. I understand there are a million factors at play, but certainly there are similarities:

- Big, existing anchor park (Noah's Ark / Cedar Point)
- Ugly winters
- Small town
- Roughly 60 miles from nearest airport

In fact, Sandusky has two advantages: 1. Cedar Point is one of the biggest draws in the entire Midwest. 2. Sandusky waterparks draw from a much larger market area.

I think as more waterparks open, the market will certainly change. But I also think there is some real potential here. Remember, hotels don't have to sell out every night to be successful. Great Wolf certainly understood that you're going to have more sellouts if you're the only resort in town. They took a hit, but that doesn't mean the hotel is no longer successful. And there doesn't have to be an influx of three million people during the winter months for it all to be worthwhile. I think you'll see operators saying, "we're not swimming in people, but we're seeing a return on our investment."

I don't think the problem is whether or not people will travel to Sandusky, or whether Sandusky can draw enough people. I think the biggest problem is that the two main markets, Cleveland Metro and Detroit, are both economically depressed. Of course, that can be an advantage, too.

Besides, it's not like all these waterparks are springing up in Mansfield. :)

I wouldn't mind if they would Walt. That is where I used to live, and I would like to see something other than businesses leaving the Mansfield area and leaving empty buildings that go to waste and used as crack houses. Of course several of those business have moved down the road to Ontario, but several have left the area for good.

But going back to the city in question...I really think that it would help if there were something else that is widely marketable and can be a big draw during the winter. *** Edited 8/3/2006 7:15:59 PM UTC by BlueStreak64***

BlueStreak64 said:
Probably not. I think the one that is in planning right now is the last major resort that the area can sustain without adding something else to draw people besides CP.

I'm not saying that they couldn't build this resort and have it be successful, but basically pointing out the fact (or trying to) that you did, about what the area can sustain without adding something else to the mix.

I certainly understand that a hotel/motel/resort/etc. doesn't need to sell out every night to be successful. My point is that unless more people are coming to the area (which, if Cedar Point's attendance means anything, isn't happening), you will eventually reach a point where these water parks are not adding to the mix, but rather just taking guests away from each other. It's not like each of these resorts is making a draw from a different area, they're all going after the same market. At this point, the average family isn't going to run to Sandusky every time a new water park opens. If they had plans to go, they may very well change them to accommodate the new resort, but that simply proves my point of taking guests away from each other.

The Dells is a tourist trap, and that's all there is to it. Sure it may meet some of the characteristics of Sandusky, but if you were to do everything there was to do the Dells, you'd be visiting a lot more places than if you did the same thing in Sandusky.

My father and I spoke with Mr. Kinzel about this very topic last season, and one of the interesting things he pointed out was that the addition of the waterpark which formed Castaway Bay was to book the rooms. He mentioned that it's almost something that's needed to be able to keep up in the market, rather than to get ahead.

*** Edited 8/3/2006 7:35:02 PM UTC by DBCP***

Did all those attractions there exist before the waterpark craze hit? Or did they come in to fill a need created by the waterparks? And is there really that much to do in February, tourist trap or not? Like I said, I've never been there and really don't know much about the Dells. Perhaps new attractions will spring up in Sandusky once the waterpark base is established. Ghostly Manor is a start. Those things aren't going to be there until there is a need for them.

I still think there is more upside to this Sandusky waterpark craze, than downside.

*** Edited 8/3/2006 7:53:57 PM UTC by Walt***

I don't know which came first, the tourist traps or the water parks, but think "Niagra Falls area." They also have several ski resorts in the immediate Dells area.

*** Edited 8/3/2006 7:58:42 PM UTC by DBCP***

I would love to see CF put in some sort of year-round indoor amusement park. It wouldn't have to be huge, maybe a dozen or so kid rides, 6 or 8 flats, maybe a small coaster or two. If such a place existed, I would try to go there at least 3 or 4 times during the long, dreary winter. And I'd pay good money for it. It's such a long haul between Halloween and April when PKI opens. I even went to LA in January to do Disney/Knotts, and it still seemed like the longest, freaking wait.

Anyway, that sort of attraction might add a night to regional visitors' stays, and fill up more CP hotel rooms during the off season.

The Twin Cities are only, if I remember correctly, about 2 hours away from the Dells. Then you still have Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Madison, (not to mention Eau Claire and Lacrosse). I don't know about the WI Cities, but the Twin Cities isn't nearly as economically depressed as say Cleveland or Detroit.

You also have Chicago 3 hours away. I believe there is quite a bit more population in a 3 hour drive from the Dells then there is Sandusky.

Plus, there's more than likely more to do in the winter in the Dells (Skiing anyone?). At least, thats what it seemed like when I was there in April.

I still think that there will be a point where there are too many of them and they all start dying off. Unless someone is going to build something more elaborate than Kalahari, I can see that one and Castaway staying afloat.