Once Upon a Time : The Impact of Theming on the Willingness to Pay for Amusement Parks

Abstract: This study seeks to find the impact of theming on the willingness to pay of con- sumers for amusement parks. Guests of Finnish amusement park Särkänniemi were asked about their preference for themed attractions and about the price they were willing to pay per ride by means of a questionnaire. Variables concerning both the stated as well as the revealed preference for theming, immersive experience, and previous visits to the park were tested in relation to the willingness to pay for amusement parks. Not all these variables have shown to play an important role; however the variable concerning the revealed preference did have a very strong significance on the willingness to pay in the proposed model. In conclusion the study suggests that the willingness to pay for an attraction is positively influenced by theming because people, as it turns out, are willing to pay more for an attraction when it is themed.