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Ohio amusement park eyes gas prices, offers special deals

May 25, 2008 @ 01:34 PM

The Associated Press

Herald-Dispatch.com

SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) — Looking to help consumers with rising gas and food prices, Cedar Point is offering online admission ticket deals to maintain attendance at the amusement park this summer.

One promotion geared toward families, which the park calls its “amusement stimulus package,” offers four tickets for $132 — a savings of close to $40. The regular admission price for the park, which opened for the summer on Saturday, is $42.95.

A Memorial Day weekend deal allows customers to pay $2 more than the ticket price for an all-you-can-eat meal, and a third promotion lets customers pay $10 for a second admission later in the season if a regular admission is purchased.

The moves are unusual this early in the year, but not surprising in light of the struggling economy and unprecedented fuel prices, said Paul Ruben, an editor at Park World magazine.

“They’re trying to offset that and give people a reason to come to their parks,” he said. “Everybody has to provide inducements one way or another this season.”

Cedar Point is the flagship of parent company Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which operates 10 other U.S. amusement parks, including Kings Island near Cincinnati.

Online promotions allow company executives to make quicker pricing changes on tickets if they expect a drop in attendance or guest spending inside the parks, Cedar Fair’s chief executive, Richard Kinzel, said earlier this month.

King’s Island’s Web site offers a two-visit ticket for an adult for $45.99, a savings of about $14. The park charges $29.99 for a single-day ticket.

Cedar Fair expects to have $100 million in online sales this year, Kinzel said.

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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/