Amusement Today is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arlington, Texas, United States, was founded in January 1997 by Gary Slade, Virgil E. Moore III and Rick Tidrow. In 1997, Amusement Today won the Impact Award in the services category for "Best New Product" from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). A year later, in 1998, the magazine founded the Golden Ticket Awards, for which it has become best known for throughout the amusement park industry. On January 2, 2001, Slade bought out his two partners, giving him sole ownership of the paper. The paper has two full-time and two part-time staff members at its Arlington office, along with two full-time writers and several freelance writers in various parts of the world.
Video Amusement Today
Golden Ticket Awards
Every year, Amusement Today gives out awards to the best of the best in the amusement park industry in a ceremony known as the Golden Ticket Awards. The awards are handed out based on surveys given to experienced and well-traveled amusement park enthusiasts from around the world. The awards, which were first handed out in 1998, have been featured on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. Despite the magazine's attempts to prevent bias by separating surveys into balanced geographical regions, some claim the awards are biased towards American parks and roller coasters due to the use of a "total point system" to calculate the award winners. Using the total point system, the awards usually favor a park or ride that more voters have visited, regardless of quality
2017 winners
2016 winners
2015 winners
2014 winners
2013 winners
2012 winners
2011 winners
2010 winners
2009 winners
2008 winners
2007 winners
2006 winners
2005 winners
2004 winners
2003 winners
2002 winners
2001 winners
2000 winners
1999 winners
1998 winners
Publisher's Picks
Maps Amusement Today
Host Park
- From 1998-2000 there was no Host Park, the awards were announced from Amusement Today's Arlington, Texas, office instead. The 2008 awards were announced at Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Florida.
- 2017 was hosted by two parks.
Repeat winners
- Best Amusement Park - Cedar Point for 15 of 17 years.
- Best Water Park - Schlitterbahn for all 17 years.
- Best Landscaping - Busch Gardens Williamsburg for all 17 years.
- Best Children's Park - Idlewild and Soak Zone for the past 5 years.
- Cleanest Park - Holiday World for the last 15 years.
- Friendliest Park - Holiday World for 13 out of the last 17 years.
- Best Halloween Event - Universal Studios Orlando for 9 out of the 11 years the award has been given.
- Best Food - Knoebels for 16 out of last 17 years (tied once).
- Best Kids Area - Kings Island for the last 14 years.
- Best Steel Roller Coaster - Millennium Force for the past 5 years, and within the top 2 for the past 15 years.
- Best Shows - Dollywood for the last 6 years.
- Best Indoor Waterpark - Schlitterbahn Galveston Island for the last 8 years.
- Best Outdoor Production Show - IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot for 12 out of the 13 years the award has been given.
- Best Seaside Park - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for 7 of the last 8 years.
References
External links
- Current Golden Ticket Awards at Amusement Today's Golden Ticket website
- Golden Ticket Awards go online for 2012
- Details of voting for the 2012 Golden Ticket Awards
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments