Florida's Islands of Adventure Universal Research Paper

Conclusion

Universal expects to continue its growth. It initially spent $60 million to market Islands of Adventure and it appears the investment in advertising has paid off. "We don't need to beat Disney to be successful," said Cathy Nichols, Chairman and CEO of Universal Recreation Group (cited in Beddingfield & Silver). Universal Studies acquired an additional 1900 acres of land a decade ago and could open, in the next five or ten years, two more theme parks, 13,000 more hotel rooms, and perhaps two golf courses (Beddingfield & Silver). The state of Florida is hoping that expansion plans at Universal will continue to bolster its currently sagging economy. Population growth is at a thirty-year low (Grunwald) and the real estate crisis hit the state particularly hard, leading the nation in mortgage fraud. Yet, in 2010, there were still seventy-one million visitors to the state.Port Canaveral is the busiest cruise port in the world, serving 3.5 million travelers a year (Petersen). There is hope that the state's economy will rebound; Islands of Adventure will, Universal hopes, help lead the way to recovery.

Works Cited

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Boost in 2010 -- but Numbers Still Don't Rival Disney." Inside the Magic.

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Corliss, Richard. "Thrill Park." Time International (Canada Edition). 153.21. (1999).

Grunwald, Michael. "Welcome to Florida." Time. (2008). 172.3.

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