Crikey! It's Someone Wearing Crocs

Love 'em or hate 'em, Crocs are still on the feet of Americans everywear, maybe even at your facility. What's your policy on wearing these rubbery super shoes in the water? Check out this interesting commentary ...

All aboard!

Ahoy Maties!

It appears Disney is taking cruise ship aquatics to the next level. According to APP.com, Disney "will put a high-speed flume ride - the first on a cruise -- on its next ship, the Disney Dream." According to the article the 765-foot-long ride, dubbed the Aqua Duck, will be located on the top deck of the 1,250-cabin vessel. The ride is expected to be ready in 2011.

Aquatic Art

It may not have the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, or evoke the emotional response of the Statue of Liberty, but there's something inherently beautiful about the sight of a sparkling, clear blue swimming pool. And it appears that recently, the art world has come to agree.

This month Utah artist Jamie Wayman has an exhibit of unique underwater images at Salt Lake City's Horne Fine Art gallery. Here's an article from The Salt Lake Tribune on Wayman's work and the current exhibit.

The P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center on Long Island also recently hosted an exhibit with work featuring swimming pools. From October 2008 until last March P.S.1 hosted an installation by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. According to the press release, Leandro Erlich: Swimming Pool featured "a full-size pool, complete with all its trappings, including a deck and a ladder [all constructed by Erlich]."

If you were lucky enough to check out either exhibit in person, let me know what you thought!

Hooray for the super-fans!

Surely all of your regular visitors love aquatics but how many of them are as dedicated as Charlie Kanzawa? According to local media Mr. Kanzawa, aka Cliffman, has himself become an attraction at The Beach Waterpark in Mason, Ohio for his antics on The Cliff, a 210-foot speed slide. The park recently awarded him a lifetime pass for logging his 3,000th trip down the slide.

If you've got your own Cliffman, I say follow this example. Show your appreciation and let the world know by sharing the story with your local news.

... In the News

What headlines have grabbed your attention lately? Here are two interesting tidbits that you might have missed:

According to this story from the Boston Business Journal, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Brands Inc. (I'll have a box of Munchkins please!) has opened it's first hotel location at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C.

And would you stay in a hovering hotel? According to this report there are plans to bring one to Dubai by 2011.

Saving Grace

As one of the first amusement attractions I visited (at age 3), Six Flags The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom, in Queensbury, N.Y., has a special place in my heart. According to this story from NBC 13 NYT-TV it has a special place in the economic heart of the community as well. The report states that as a major tourist attraction, it plays a vital role in sales tax revenues. In short, if the park does well, so will the economy of the community as a whole.

Many operators are swimming against the recession and as the summer travel seasons begins, I'm wondering how many aquatic attractions and waterpark resorts out there are in the same position. Is the economic prosperity of your community riding on your shoulders?

The Business of Travel

How many conventions or business travelers are making reservations at your resort these days? Given the current recession and our lawmakers' very public backlash against any unnecessary spending by corporate America (specifically those granted Federal Bail Out money) business travel has nearly ground to a halt.

Granted, those companies being supported by America's tax dollars should be held to a different standard, but as anyone who's done any business travel knows, face to face meetings produce an economic stimulus of their own, by facilitating new relationships, and creating jobs and sales.

That's the premise of the Meetings Mean Business Campaign launched recently by the U.S. Travel Association and several other travel industry organizations.

If you'd like to know more, check out http://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com.