![]() So here is the actual Ark Encounter attendance, compared to the projected attendance numbers: And from those facts we have a very clear picture of Ark attendance. Every month the remarkable Dan Phelps – founder and president of the Kentucky Paleontological Society – asks Williamstown officials for the total amount collected that month from the safety fee. We can actually know how many folks visit Ark Encounter, thanks to the fact that – as of July 2017 - a 50 cent “safety fee” has been added to each Ark ticket. Using the “estimated average of 1.6 million visitors” in the first year – and I should note that Ham actually predicted that first year attendance would be closer to 2.2 million – here’s the projected attendance numbers included in the feasibility study:Īnd here come some more facts. On the first page of the “Visitation Projections” section, right there in black and white, the feasibility report confidently claims that “the Ark Encounter is expected to attract between 1.2 million and 2.0 million visitors (or an estimated average of 1.6 million visitors) during the first year of operation.” Then, in the “Financial Projections” section, there is a very clear “10-year Operating Income Projections” chart, which includes the projection that there will be (in the first ten years of the Ark’s existence) “Annual Attendance Growth,” with a 4% annual increase as the norm, but with a few years (thanks to new exhibits and the like) that will see a 10% growth rate. ![]() One of the facts we have is the 2013 Ark Encounter, LLC Feasibility Report that was presented to the town of Williamstown, and is included as Appendix A in Williamstown’s official statement regarding the issuance of $62 million worth of “Taxable Industrial Building Revenue Bonds, Series 2013.” And as regards Ark Encounter attendance, we have facts, and thus don’t have to depend on the “creative” statements put forth by the folks at Answers in Genesis (AiG). More than this, the Ark has not come close to matching the attendance projections they used to convince Williamstown to issue junk bonds to aid the project.įacts. I am afraid the facts do not come close to supporting his claims. I am guessing you are getting these numbers from Ken Ham. ![]() Wonder how you’re feeling about the fact about 10 million people have visited the Ark Encounter and there are new hotels being built to meet the demand of the ever expanding attraction. Last week a reader sent a snarky note in response to a 2017 post I wrote about the failure of the newly-opened Ark Encounter to live up to its first-year attendance projections: By William Trollinger The “Rainbow Entrance” at Ark Encounter.
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