More Than 200 Rides and Attractions Offer Families Thrills and Chills This Summer at Parks and Attractions Throughout North America

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 200 new rides and attractions open this summer at more than 80 theme parks, water parks, family fun centers, zoos, aquariums, and museums in North America, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the worldwide trade association for the global attractions industry. 

The attractions industry provides 600,000 jobs and helps pump $57 billion into North America's economy, as more than 300 million people will visit U.S. amusement parks and attractions this summer.

Trends identified for 2013 include more thrilling wooden roller coaster experiences, refreshing water park additions, and increasingly immersive experiences that take guests into new worlds for unique adventures.

Thanks in part to new technologies and designs, this summer wooden roller coasters go beyond the traditional hills, dips, and curves and offer guests a choice between the traditional wooden coaster experience and a hybrid that gives the ambiance of a wood coaster with inversions, twists, and turns only previously experienced on steel roller coasters.

Families can cool off at one of the new water parks opening in North America or at one of more than 20 water parks introducing expansions that include new wave pools, water coasters, water slide complexes, lazy rivers, spray grounds for young visitors, and more.

Dreamers and designers in the attractions industry continue to create amazing, immersive experiences. This summer, those adventures take guests into the worlds of penguins, princesses, and more.

"If it's new adventures families want, this summer is going to deliver," said IAAPA President and CEO Paul Noland. "The rides and exhibits opening at amusement parks and attractions throughout North America range from wooden roller coasters that turn riders upside down, and cool new desert oases, to amazing animal safaris, and high-tech interactive adventures. There's something new for everyone."

A list of new attractions, consumer tips, and more is available at www.IAAPA.org/thrillsandchills.

About IAAPA
Founded in 1918, IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities and attractions, and is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the attractions industry. The association's global headquarters is in Alexandria, Virginia, United States, and it maintains regional offices in Brussels, Mexico City, and Hong Kong. www.IAAPA.org

SOURCE IAAPA