Theme parks experience lull in downturn (http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1031119487151) - Financial Times, 9/19/02

QuikQuote: The companies also argues that the division will throw off significantly higher levels of free cashflow in fiscal 2002 and over the next several years as capital spending in the parks declines.

:::sigh::: Have we lived through the golden age of theme parks?

Declines in capital spending... :(

Yeah, but here is a bit of good news...

Stay-at-home Americans have this summer discovered the attractions of local and regional parks, such as the Magic Mountain chain. But it is in entertainment-rich environments such as Southern California that competition is the strongest.

There are now 14 theme parks within an easy drive of the densely-populated Los Angeles conurbation, with a further cluster around fast-growing San Diego.

So, with competition, hopefully someone at Disney will realize that they will have to compete.... there is always hope, but as Al Lutz said in his article today...

Rumors continue to swirl that we shouldn't expect much of anything, expect maybe new paint, for Disneyland's 50th. Things are just that bad right now thanks to the many upper management blunders.

And the more I read, the more it looks like we shouldn't be expecting much for the 50th.....:(

I hope the 50th isn't a retirement party.:(