Visiting an attraction for the day is often exhilarating but exhausting. High-octane rides will get your pulse going, spectacular shows will bowl you over and wall-to-wall themed zones will sustain the all-encompassing buzz. But the sheer size and magnitude of the park, the constant queuing and the ever-pervasive stimulation can get a little wearying, especially for children.

So how can attractions boost the amount of time that visitors spend at their park, the amount they consume and the amount that they buy – to maximise their profits – while ensuring that guests go home feeling happy and fulfilled, spreading the good word to their friends and family, and inspired to return?

On-site accommodation is one solution. Offering guests the opportunity to prolong their visit by staying at an accessible inner-circle hotel, self-catering villa or even campsite provides a refuge where they can re-energise – feeling refreshed for another exciting day at the park.

Inventively themed accommodation takes this one step further by promoting the attraction’s brand. Combining themed accommodation with ‘experience dining’ venues, which can charge a premium quite simply because the restaurant is themed, adds even more value to the sleepover guest’s visit, while simultaneously enticing walk-in day trippers to dine.

Themed marketing potential can also be capitalised on by offering associated after-hours paid activities and next-day early bird access promotions.

By lengthening a visitor’s stay and creating more opportunities for further spend, an operator will generate more income from selling merchandise and food and beverage offerings. The guest will go home having experienced a uniquely compelling and unforgettable trip where they felt fully immersed within an all-encompassing magical environment. Quite simply, it’s a winning combination.

Destination hotels that incorporate a theme/brand are also more likely to be recognised regionally and globally, boosting their potential to target a wider segment of visitors – beyond the current predominance for leisure guests and families.

For example, the ever-growing MICE group (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) can off-set the negative impact of seasonality – when schools are in, MICE are out. World-renowned attractions in the USA and Europe, such as Europa-Park, have long capitalised on this opportunity to maximise on their visitor attendances during the “low holiday season” and offer superb conference facilities and corporate packages.

However, operators working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have not fully grasped this potential, partly because these regions are yet to develop a large-scale enough attraction to entice a long visitor stay. But this is changing – and fast. The sheer number of attractions under construction in MENA, like Legoland Dubai, Motiongate Dubai and Bollywood Parks Dubai, is opening up opportunities for operators to capitalise on their brands by launching themed accommodation and dining at these parks. It’ll be interesting to see whether the “theme, sleep and dine” option is an all-round global winner.