News: Hard Rock Park off to a rocky start

Posted at 10:43 AM EDT (1443 GMT)

Aug. 4th, 2008 -- If you are an enthusiast and heading to Hard Rock Park, the chances of long lines seem pretty slim these days.  While that is good new for those waiting in lines, it may be a sign that all is not well at the world’s first rock-and-roll theme park.

"It is a really tough summer," said Steven Goodwin, CEO of the $400 million Hard Rock Park, which licenses the brand name from the restaurant chain. "We're seeing people cutting their vacations from seven days to five days to three days, spending less money."

The park, doesn't release its attendance numbers, but experts say the slumping economy and cautious consumer spending habits are taking a toll on traffic at Hard Rock and other theme parks around the country this summer.

Experts now say that Hard Rock Park's original expectations of 3 million visitors a year were too high.

If there is a glimmer of hope for the park though, it is that when people actually do go through the park’s front gates, they’re spending money.

Critics say that the park was too narrow in its marketing scope, primarily trying to use free media coverage to get the word out about the park.

Park officials are rethinking their marketing strategy and looking at other ways to market the park.

For more information on this story, visit The Sun News.