Visitors' Motivation for Attending Theme Parks in Orlando, Florida

The objective of this study is to identify the major factors that motivate visitors to attend theme parks in Orlando, Florida, and segment visitors by their motivations. A survey of 260 visitors to theme parks in Orlando was conducted. Thirty-five motivational items were factor analyzed. The six factors that motivated visitors to attend theme parks in Orlando were "Fantasy & myth," "Learning," "Excitement," "Science & technology," "Rides," and "Small-town America." The cluster analysis identified four groups of visitors: "Fantasy seekers," "Thrilling ride seekers," "Light enjoyment seekers," and "Science seekers." The multivariate statistics showed significant differences among the four groups of visitors in their motivations for attending the Orlando theme parks. Implications of the study results are discussed.