bsharma, actually amusement parks and local attractions are a terrible indicator of the economy, there can actually be a reverse effect. I’ve read a number of studies that when discretionary income falls, vacations and outings aren’t eliminated, they are downgraded. An example is that a family who is accustomed to taking their vacation in hawaii or europe will not forgo their vacation but disneyland, camping or something similar that does not involve air travel will be taken instead. Southern Californian’s with less vacation money will be “rediscovering” local vacations at a fraction of the cost, even if gas were to quadruple, it’s cheaper than flying. So when you see some local attraction having increased attendance it is actually a sign of financial distress. Cruises sometimes also benefit because they are more economical and the shorter ones to a greater extent. There are a lot of people, like myself who are unaffected by an economic downturn directly in their paychecks but their psyche is affected because of what they see and hear, I’m not ready to spend my vacation at home burying nickels in the backyard but I’m also looking to spend less than half of what I would have in the past and the extra $50 in gas for a local vacation is nothing compared to a $5000 vacation for a family I would have taken in years past. I haven’t been to Sea World in ten years but this may be the year I go. Currency values are another factor, it’s cheap for foriegners to come here and expensive for us to leave.
