Abstract

Considering the extensive growth of the amusement park industry over the past several decades, researchers have started to examine theme park appeal. While these investigators have looked at the general aspects of appeal that attract theme park guests, my study examines a specific part of appeal- rollercoaster elements (parts of a rollercoaster, like a vertical loop) and manufacturers (companies that build rollercoasters). I aimed to answer the following question: What steel and hybrid rollercoaster elements make a ride more or less appealing to rollercoaster enthusiasts at American Cedar Fair parks, and how does that relate to manufacturer preferences? After performing a content analysis to establish the most prevalent rollercoaster elements across the selected parks and determine which elements were more general (found across all manufacturers) or manufacturer-specific (primarily found on a single manufacturer’s rides), a survey was conducted. Members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts organization (people with a deep love and knowledge of rollercoasters) ranked my pre-established elements and manufacturers from most to least appealing. With this data, I concluded that the most appealing rollercoaster elements include both general and manufacturer-specific elements (Floater Airtime Hill, Zero-G Roll, Ejector Airtime Hill, Hydraulic Launch, Zero-G Stall). Additionally, I established that there was no prevalent correlation between ranking a specific manufacturer and an element specific to that manufacturer higher. These results help those in the amusement park industry by establishing that guests seem to favor a culmination of unique and familiar elements in tandem with other factors.