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Tourism Water park proposal surfaces again in Poway



Survey: National Group Gives Spotlight to

Senior Travelers

Weeks after its third developer abandoned the project, the possibilities for a water park in Poway are still afloat, said Deborah Johnson, director of redevelopment services for the city.

Soon after an executive from Florida-based Alfa Smart Parks Inc. informed Johnson of its decision, city officials were uncertain that the project would ever be completed. They said the project, which could cost $20 million to $25 million, may not be financially feasible in the current market.

However, in recent weeks, Johnson has been approached by five potential water park developers , all of which are established companies in the industry , about the 35-acre site off of Scripps Poway Parkway, she said.

The city is receiving proposals from the companies at this time, Johnson said. She also said that the companies plan to conduct their own studies into the project.

Johnson wouldn’t identify the companies, but said the closest one is based in Los Angeles.

“We hope that something will materialize and that in the end we will have the water park,” Johnson said.

Nevertheless, she said, the city expects to collect $1 million placed in escrow by the water park’s first developer, as a guarantee that the park would be built by this October.

Poway Partners, led by Wet n’ Wild founder George Millay, backed out of the project in order to sell the land as an industrial site. The company then set up the escrow account as part of its settlement with the city, who in turn zoned a new area half a mile from the original site.

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Maturing Trend: The Travel Industry Association reports that the demographic profile of travelers age 55 or older has changed considerably in the last six years , and is becoming an increasingly important travel market.

The TIA recently released a 2000 edition of its report, “The Mature Traveler.” The study, which analyzed the answers of nearly 20,000 travelers in the “mature” age bracket, indicates that the demographic has an annual household income of $75,000 or more, and are more technologically savvy than they were five years ago.

Mature travelers took nearly 179 million trips in 1999, an increase of 5 percent over 1994, according to TIA. Their spending is up too, from $390 in ’94 to $431 in ’99.

According to TIA president and CEO William S. Norman, mature travelers are among the most important trends affecting the industry.

In less than a year, Norman said, the first members of the huge baby boom generation will turn 55 years old.

“The travel industry should be prepared for explosive growth in the mature consumer market,” he said.

Checking In: To dress up or not to dress up at trade shows. A pendulum-like motion to the trend is indicated an ongoing study done by Chicago-based Incomm Center for Research and Sales Training. For now, formal attire is back at the trade shows, said Dr. Allen Konopacki of the Chicago-based Incomm Center for Research and Sales Training. In 1998, Incomm’s research indicated that 86 percent of customers at trade show exhibits responded positively to salespeople’s casual attire. In a study done last year, though, only 45 percent of customers felt that way. More than 250 people were surveyed for Incomm’s report. The San Diego Museum of Art is promoting a free festival to celebrate its 75th anniversary on Feb. 11. The museum will not charge for admission all day, and will have a performance artist and a children’s workshop that day.

The deadline for the next tourism & hospitality column is Feb. 8. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via e-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.

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