Holiday World’s first day open to the general public is tomorrow, but it did not come without its struggles and headaches.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s first theme park lost about six weeks of operation, meaning the park took a hit on its the usual average of 1 million guests a year.
Fourth Generation Owner Leah Koch says that while the park normally has a playbook to look back on to help with issues, like water main breaks, something like this has never happened before.
“I don’t think we’ve ever opened late. I don’t think we’ve ever not opened on time. So, we’ve definitely had to make some adjustments and you know it’s been hard, especially on our family. We’re so used to helping families make memories and it’s been an adjustment for us. We’re just so thrilled that we get to be back and get to start making memories again.”
That doesn’t mean that Holiday World wasn’t prepared for the upcoming season. Koch says that park began planning its COVID-19 response in March. While everyone worked together, every department in the park was responsible for their own plan on how to make sure Holiday World was the best it could be if and when the park opened back up.
Holiday World President and CEO Matt Eckert says Holiday World’s goal for 2020 is for everyone to have fun, but also to feel safe.
“You know we are in a totally different time right now; as is the rest of the world. For us, our goal right now is to bring the same guest experience that we always have. We want to bring fun. We want to bring memories. We’re just going to do it in a way that is safer than our guests have ever seen and that says a lot because safety is our number one priority. Always will be. We’re gonna go above and beyond to make sure that when you come here, you’re going to feel safe.”
Eckert asks that all Holiday World attendees be patient during this time.
“This is something very different for all of us. It’s different for the whole world. We are going to have a lot of new employees at the park. We’re actually adding additional positions because of our virtual queuing so they’re learning the system too as we go. I hope that there will be some patience there and understanding that we’re doing everything that we possibly can to make sure that you have a safe and enjoyable day. That’s our number one priority.”
Koch says that she feel relieved knowing that despite a very unpredictable 2020, Holiday World is ready to open back up for families.
“I’ve had a rough time with this personally. I’ve had some days where I just cried because I couldn’t imagine not opening the park and it was the only option to keep people safe. I feel like I can finally breathe again. I’m so happy that we get to help families make memories again and it’s just it’s been a part of what my family does for 74 years. I’m just so honored to be a part of that tradition and so excited that we get to continue it.”
Holiday World opens to the general public Wednesday, June 17th, with over 2,250 employees to help make everyone’s day a memorable one.
