I don't think this is really it, though. I mean, I think it's certainly part of it. But if these coaster parks were run very well and were great places to spend a day, they'd be doing much better. Alas, here we are in this reality instead.
They'd be better places to spend a day, for a wider range of age groups, if they had a more diversified attraction line up. Even now,
when they talk of adding new, it's almost always a coaster. That just puts them deeper in the future demographic hole. Most of
these parks rid themselves of non coaster attractions in the past three decades, and killed live entertainment. They really don't have
much to offer, except coasters. The key to success is usually moderation. They abandoned diversification and glued their parks
to a limited demographic, and it's a demographic that doesn't make much money..
Some of their parks will survive and do OK. Knott's is still a 'diversified' park and should be fine. Cedar Point area and park is a family
'vacation' destination for people in the Midwest, and it will always be OK, though it needs to return to some of the entertainment and
types of attractions that guests loved before CP went into coaster overdrive, to make it a better park. And there are some others, but
they can all be better if they would diversify a bit, with broader attraction types and a return of live entertainment.