Every Visitor Attraction (VA), be it a Zoo, Aquarium, Safari Park or

animal centred visitor attraction is a Commercial Organisation,

regardless of its size, conservation kudos, visitor numbers or indeed

any other conceived negating factor. Like all businesses there are

assets and in most cases the most valuable would be considered to be those that are tangible such as land, buildings, species, staff etc.

The reality is that on your VA’s bank balance there are two columns – debits and credits. The debits feature outgoings such as bills and wages, the credits consist of income, the lifeblood of the company – your Visitors and Customers. In the economic climate, we are forced to focus on “share of consumer” in that an individual may have the financial ability to select from a number of attractions to visit/re-visit, therefore it is imperative that VA’s adopt a “Customer Centric” ethos and ensure the whole team are engaged in nurturing the relationship between the organisation and it’s visitors.