Park Targets Mexican, Asian Patrons : Knott’s Plans Shift to International Theme

Knott’s Berry Farm has quietly embarked on a multimillion-dollar redirection that will eventually convert the former berry farm from a patriotic, All-American amusement park into an internationally themed attraction.

The redirection is a strong bid by the park to clearly differentiate itself from rival Disneyland and to appeal to the booming local market of Mexicans and Asians that currently account for about 20% of the park’s annual attendance. It is also an attempt to capture the general public’s interest in international exhibits such as those at Expo ’86 in Vancouver and Epcot Center in central Florida.

“Our market has changed dramatically over the years,� said Terry Van Gorder, president of Knott’s Berry Farm. “The Mexicans and Asians are emerging as the area’s two key elements for mass entertainment. We want to be able to meet them on their own terms.�

The move--which began in July with the addition of a $1-million international shopping bazaar to the park--will extend over the next five seasons, with plans to add a new Pacific Rim-themed area within three years and to revamp Fiesta Village, its Mexican-themed area, over the next two seasons.

$30-Million Change

Park improvements over the next five years will cost an estimated $30 million--at least half of which will be pumped directly into the two ethnic-themed areas, according to Van Gorder. The remainder of the funds will be used to vastly enlarge Knott’s outdoor Market Place shopping area with more internationally themed shops and to add at least two major new thrill attractions, including a “super� roller coaster, he said.

Knott’s draws its core attendance from an area within a 10-mile radius of the park--a zone heavily populated by Asians and Latinos. Since Van Gorder joined the park five years ago, attendance among Asians and Latinos has increased 30%. “We’re changing along with the demographic mix of Orange County,� Van Gorder said.

The proposed changes at Knott’s come on the heels of what the park says was its most profitable year ever. The privately owned park does not reveal profit and revenue figures. But officials are now concerned about an unexpected dip in attendance--due in part to earthquake fears, the competitive lure of Vancouver’s Expo and the declining peso’s effect on travel by Mexicans--that is affecting attractions throughout the Southland. Attendance at Knott’s is expected to slide below the 5-million mark this year.

Knott’s Berry Farm, with an international scope, would be a far cry from the roadside berry stand that founder Walter Knott and his wife, Cordelia, set up in Buena Park 66 years ago. Walter, an ultra-conservative Republican Party activist, set up historical exhibits that coaxed drivers to pull over and take a look. He eventually built a replica of Independence Hall on the park grounds.

Pieces of History

Knott’s will continue to present pieces of history--in particular, California history--with bright new areas devoted to the Asian and Mexican populations that have flooded California in recent years.

Knott’s is not the first amusement park in the nation to recognize the pull of international attractions. But after the $900-million Epcot Center--which opened in Orlando, Fla., in 1979--Knott’s ranks among the first parks to actively take that approach. Two other U.S. theme parks, Busch Gardens Old Country near Williamsburg, Va., and Kings Island in Cincinnati, have sections with European-themed attractions.

Leisure industry executives and consultants generally agree that the new Knott’s strategy is a good one. “It’s the intrigue of international exhibits that attracts people to world’s fairs,� said Richard Battaglia, a Huntington Beach-based amusement park consultant.

For years, developers from the Pacific Rim have come to the United States seeking ideas on how to duplicate U.S. theme parks in their countries. “To reverse that idea and build international theme parks in this country would seem very sound,� said Patricia Duricka, a spokesman for the International Assn. of Amusement Parks in Alexandria, Va.

Nearby Disneyland has hardly ignored that international strata. Its Adventureland area, for example, is brimming with international gift shops. Nearly 15% of Disneyland’s visitors come from outside the United States, and they spend much more than local tourists, said Bob Roth, a Disneyland spokesman.

Repositioning Itself

One way that Knott’s is trying to separate itself from Disneyland is by repositioning itself. A proposed enlargement of the Market Place, for example, could better establish Knott’s as the place where people can eat international foods and buy imported goods.

Although plans for the Market Place expansion are five years off, executives hope to transform a huge storage plant into a bustling international building filled with food and merchandise from many counties.

As one part of the new international strategy, Knott’s will concentrate on California’s brimming Pacific Rim market. “With 1 million Asians in California, it’s an issue we must address,� Van Gorder said.

So, within three years, the park will begin developing a new Pacific Rim-themed area, which has yet to be officially named. It will replace the current Airfield portion of the park--an area that has seen slumping attendance.

Next year, the park will spend millions to upgrade Fiesta Village and make the themed area more “authentically� Mexican, Van Gorder said. It will not only renovate the 17-year-old section but also add much more bona fide Mexican merchandise--most of it imported from Mexico--and offer true Mexican foods at the concession stands.

More Mexican entertainment, ranging from music to dance to theater, will be on tap. New rides decorated in a Mexican theme will also be added to the area, Van Gorder said.

Van Gorder has brought numerous new ideas to Knott’s since he joined the company as general manager in 1981 and was later named president and chief operating officer in 1984.

The 52-year-old former president of Magic Mountain theme park conceived the much-copied Camp Snoopy concept six years ago, a children’s activity area that has quickly become the park’s most popular spot.

Licensed Peanuts Gang

He also snatched the next-best thing to Mickey Mouse when he lined up Snoopy and the Peanuts cartoon gang as park emissaries under a long-term licensing contract with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. “Snoopy gave Knott’s instant identity,� Van Gorder said. “Snoopy is quite at home on the farm.�

To help draw new interest to the park this year, Knott’s installed a $1-million marine stadium. The 1,200-seat Pacific Pavilion is used up to 10 times daily for dolphin and Diving Doggie shows.

Reacting to recent changes at Disneyland, Knott’s recently expanded its yearly schedule to 364 days (closed Christmas), and last week it began selling annual season passes for the first time in more than a decade.

Among Van Gorder’s other near-term goals is his desire to create better “transitional� zones--through the use of landscape and graphics--between the park’s themed areas.

He also plans to nearly double the size of the picnic area that Knott’s owns across the street from the park. The picnic grounds areas are “great generators� of park attendance, Van Gorder said. Also, Knott’s exclusively caters all of the highly profitable picnic events--primarily with chicken dinners. Gross sales for the park’s catering business--including picnics and banquets--has doubled over the past two years.

Today, Knott’s sells more than 1 million chicken dinners annually. The chicken dinners are one part of the park that, under any international banner, will still remain staunchly American. But this year, even the chicken dinner menu saw its first twist in decades. Instead of fried chicken, guests can now order chicken and dumplings. And instead of boysenberry pie, they can now order--you guessed it--apple.