Optimizing Tourist Experience in Queuing Areas
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When planning a water park or theme park project, numerous factors must be considered. Queuing areas are essential for amusement, performances, popular attractions, and interactive events within each park. These areas serve as the current waiting and warm-up zones for each activity, and while they may not be thrilling, they are filled with essential elements.
The well-designed queuing area acts like a “preparation zone” before entering the main attraction, allowing visitors to “hear the sound before seeing the person.” During this time, tourists can grasp the theme and safety instructions of the attraction. Additionally, the queuing area includes details that enhance comfort and ensure the safety of visitors. Let’s explore the design of queuing areas from the perspectives of technical control, technology application, and theme creation.
Technical Control of Queuing Areas
1. Orderly Guidance
The primary aim of establishing a queuing area is to organise tourists to enter various venues or amusement zones in an orderly fashion, ensuring they enjoy the recreational activities safely and smoothly, rather than rushing in. This is akin to the queuing area in front of other public service facilities. Consequently, the width of the standing line is typically sufficient for a single person to pass through, with no sudden changes in width to prevent queue jumping.
Moreover, important information such as height requirements and health restrictions should be clearly displayed at the entrance of the queue area to prevent any issues when the queue is halted at the entrance of the attraction.
2. Evacuation of Tourists
Extended queuing times can sometimes lead to unexpected situations, such as the need for a temporary emergency exit, children needing to use the toilet, or even special disasters requiring all staff to evacuate. In such cases, exiting and returning via the original route can easily cause disputes among tourists. During an emergency evacuation, tourists may form a crowd at the front, blocking those behind in a panic, potentially leading to stampede accidents. Taking Lanchao Discovery Kingdom as an example, emergency evacuation doors are installed in the queuing area of the samba balloon project, leading to an external activity site. The exit channel is positioned between the queuing area and the greening area, parallel to the outermost part of the queuing channel, facilitating the rapid evacuation of tourists and effectively guiding the flow of people in special circumstances.
3. Coping with Large Passenger Flow
On holidays, the park’s visitor numbers often peak, and the length of the queuing area is usually determined by the passenger flow during regular periods. Therefore, to prevent overflow during peak times, the planning and layout of temporary queuing areas should be considered from the outset of the park’s design. If you’re considering building a water park, this aspect should be taken into account as well.
For instance, at Lanchao Discovery Kingdom, the large pendulum project is highly popular. Its temporary queuing area is set up on the hard ground near the venue. The semi-open area provides shade and rain protection without obstructing the large flow of people. The hard ground is pre-drilled, and temporary guardrails are inserted as needed to define the queuing space. During off-peak days, the temporary queuing area is removed, and the boreholes are covered with metal caps, ensuring there are no obstacles to trip tourists.
4. Preview Area Setting
Many 4D/5D or medium and large stage theatres, as well as some theme amusement equipment, guide tourists to a preview hall before queuing for admission. This space acts like the introduction of a novel, aiming to focus the attention of tourists about to enter the main venue and stimulate their interest.
In some cases, theatres may place the rehearsal hall before the queuing area, allowing tourists to queue in batches according to specific rules. The size of the rehearsal hall depends on the number of tourists the theatre or amusement equipment can accommodate in the next batch, providing enough space for most tourists to stand comfortably. Rehearsal time should be brief, clearly explaining the background of the play and viewing precautions.
5. Seat Setting
During the Shanghai World Expo, the Saudi Pavilion was immensely popular. During peak 8-hour queuing times, a portable folding stool was unexpectedly ignited, highlighting the need for seating. In high-intensity queuing areas, tourists often sit against the railings, prompting theme park owners to consider seating options. Some domestic theme parks have begun installing simple wooden stools along the railings. Although only 20-30cm wide, they provide enough space for tourists to place their belongings and rest. When tourists are comfortable, unprincipled behaviours like pushing and shoving or riding railings naturally diminish.
6. Fast Track
To allow some tourists to experience attractions more quickly, many theme parks have introduced fast lanes and single channels alongside the regular queuing area, offering convenience by exchanging money for time. On peak days, more tourists are embracing this method to experience various attractions more comprehensively. Therefore, the fast track can be seen as a strategy to enhance and streamline the tourist experience. If you’re planning to build a water park, this should be considered as well.
The entrance to the express channel is often adjacent to the regular channel, with a similar design style, but the path is shorter. Of course, the fast track requires two to three times the outdoor queuing area, so it should be selectively implemented for specific projects. Performance and exhibition venues can eliminate the need for a fast track by setting up a guest area.
