Haunted attractions in North America are delivering some frighteningly positive statistics as the sector builds up to Halloween later this month.
A survey by Passage, an event ticketing company which operates ticketing brand HauntPay, found that the total number of guests visiting a haunt each year is increasing, with 68% of attractions seeing at least 1,000 guests in 2021, and 78% expecting that number again in 2022. Around 41% of haunts expected more than 5,000 guests in 2022.
The 2022 Haunt Industry Report, which interviewed 2,100 industry professionals in the US and Canada, also found that guests spent more than 35% more when completing their ticket purchase online with $53.39 being the average in-person transaction in 2021, compared with $71.77 for the average online transaction in 2021.
The survey found that 40% of respondents were charging $21-30 for entry to their haunts in 2021, while 25.9% were charging $11-20, and 17.1% were charging $31-40.
“We decided to do the survey to provide reliable data for the industry we work so closely with,” said Alex Linebrink, Passage’s chief executive and co-founder. “Every year we get asked questions by haunts about how much they should charge and other data points, so we wanted to be able to provide accurate information.
“Ticket sales are still the number one generator of revenue for haunted houses, but concessions, merchandise, midway games and ticket premiums, which offer guests shorter times waiting in line, are expanding that revenue stream. This offers more opportunities for haunts to expand their business,” “Our own data shows that after an event has been with Passage for at least two years they more than double their revenue on our platform.”
The survey also showed that many haunts are now offering more than the traditional haunted house. Some 17.3% of respondents were offering corn mazes, 14.9% haunted hayride, 13.8% escape games and 12% zombie paintball.