I. BACKGROUND

Entertainment parks are the places where people go for amusement and fun. It is a large area of land with grass and trees, usually surrounded by fences or walls, and specially arranged so that people can walk in it for pleasure or children can play in it ${}^2$. However, parks have evolved far beyond this definition. Parks are not only open areas of grassland now, rather they are places of entertainment for the people. Now, parks have different rides, museums, botanical gardens, open-air theater, picnic spots, etc. Kaplan, & Kaplan, (1989) defined park as an essential part of modern infrastructure from where people would like to have mental health benefits. It is also important to provide access for all ages and income abilities people, for their mental well-being in the parks.

There are different types of parks in Bangladesh such as mini parks, community parks, government or privately-owned parks, theme parks, amusement parks or entertainment parks, etc. Every locality of Dhaka city, there are parks which are not ideally standard in condition. Entertainment parks in Dhaka city are becoming attractive to the visitors nowadays. The reasons might be attributed to the population pressure in the city, where about 20 million people are living (Parvin, 1991). They do not have places to go on their weekends and holidays. But the facilities in the parks are hardly up to the standards. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the visitors' perception of the entertainment parks of Dhaka City of Bangladesh. The distinct objectives of this study are: (i) to describe the parks and entertainments spots of Bangladesh, (ii) to identify the visitors' perception about the entertainment parks located in Dhaka City, and (iii) to provide suggestions to improve the quality of the park's environment and entertainment spots of Dhaka city.

II. ENTERTAINMENT PARKS IN BANGLADESH

In Bangladesh, parks have got historical connections. A renowned par of Dhaka city is Ramna

Park, which is the first natural park in Bangladesh (Chandan, 2016). It is situated at the heart of Dhaka city. It started its journey around 1610 during the Mughal Period. Although it was a barren area after 1825, it regained its glory and beauty. Over time it gradually grew and finally officially inaugurated in 1949 with an area of 88.50 acres. Other natural parks started its activities before independence include Bahadur Shah Park (formerly known as Victoria Park) located in Shadarghat, was started after 1857. In 1909, a botanical garden named Baldha Garden was established, which is located in Wari, Dhaka; where more than 672 species of plants can be found (Chandan, 2016). After the independence of Bangladesh in 1974, the first park was 'Bangladesh National Zoo' located in Mirpur, Dhaka (Chandan, 2015). Outside Dhaka, some of the major natural parks are Himchari National Park, Sitakunda

Botanical Garden and Ecopark, Madhabkunda Ecopark, Lawachara National Park, etc.

Entertainment and amusement parks are mainly privately owned in Bangladesh except Shishu Park which was established in 1979. It is the only public sector park for the children's amusement in Bangladesh located in Shahbag, Dhaka (Jahan, 2016). Another park, Wonderland, is situated in Gulshan, Dhaka and owned by Wonderland Group Bangladesh, is the first ever amusement park in the private sector, operating since 1990 (Wonderlandgroupbd.com, 2010). The first-ever theme and heritage park of Bangladesh is the Fantasy Kingdom, established in 2002, which is situated in Ashulia, Dhaka (Fantasy Kingdom, 2013). There are many parks not only in the heart of Dhaka city, but also around Dhaka city, which are listed in Table 1. It is not an exhaustive list.

For the last few decades, the travel and tourism sector of Bangladesh has progressively turned into an essential driver for financial and social advancement. It can help development through the creation of employment and venture creation and can give huge foreign exchange returns to the country (Parveen, 2013). Entertainment parks are one of the largest sectors in tourism industry of any developing country. Bangladesh is also a place where these parks can create significant revenue as well as increase the number of employment opportunities. Therefore, amusement parks are currently under the considerations of park entrepreneurs, due to which more rides and modern facilities are introduced in the entertainment parks, so as to attract and satisfy the visitors. Currently, investors are also more interested in investing in the entertainment parks (Shams, Jalil & Faruq, 2006). They are concentrating more on diversification and theme-based parks in Bangladesh. It is thought that the diversification approach will boost domestic tourism and attract foreign tourists. Both the private and public sectors are investing in the entertainment parks to ensure high contributions to the economy of the country (New Age Bangladesh, 2018). In 2018, the total contribution of the Travel & Tourism sector to GDP was 4.4% ("Bangladesh - Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP as a share of GDP", n.d.) which shows a huge development and progress of the tourism sector. Hence, it can be said that amusement parks play a very important role in Bangladesh. There are a lot of amusement parks in Bangladesh, of which most are in Dhaka city

If this sector gets proper investment and attention, it will contribute much more to the GDP, besides attracting both domestic and foreign visitors in greater numbers. The parks also need a more standardized, proper plan. The parks should also diversify themselves through enriched technology (New Age Bangladesh, 2018). The investors can also follow a more sophisticated way to make the parks more comfortable to attract tourists and visitors (New Age Bangladesh, 2018). Therefore, tourism can open another skyline for Bangladesh. The entertainment parks are one of the most potential areas in the tourism sector to invest in and attract the visitors.

III. VISITORS' PERCEPTION OF THE ENTERTAINMENT PARKS

In selecting park, visitors consider some factors like the park's environment, facilities, rides, location, etc., which are expected by them over there. Cheng, et.al., (2016) identified seven factors influencing visitor perception about the park such as: visitor variety-seeking, visitor satisfaction, switching cost, perceived value, competitor attraction, theme park image and visitors' involvement. Çay (2015) observed that in recent years, along with the increasing competition and physical as well as mental pressures in daily lives, recreation and entertainment are becoming an indispensable need. Hence, visitors would like to go to a place where there are recreation facilities and, they can relax. This study identified the importance of open spaces and recommended parks to be planned for everyone keeping the mental, physical, social needs in mind. Therefore, the importance of proper design for such parks and also the investment can mark a change in the output (Godbey and Mowen, 2011). Parks and outdoor spaces along with recreation facilities, which can be educative or something funny (Neumeyer & Neumeyer, 1958), has a paramount influence on education (Guggenheimer, 1970). So, it is perfectly understandable that parks and recreational arrangements are very much important in human lives and their education.

The attitude of the visitors also matters when they visit entertainment parks. Schiffman & Kanuk (2007) described three components of attitude: cognitive, affective, and behavioral, which are also connected to the entertainment parks. Ajzen and Fishbein (1991) emphasized that attitude influences both intention and behavior. Therefore, to properly evaluate the perception a visitor has regarding a park, it is crucial to understand the attitudinal factors of the visitors that influence their cognitive dimension and behavioral dimension, leading to positive or negative visitor behavior. Quintal and Ian (2008) used attributes like perceived attractions, perceived quality, perceived risk, and perceived value to measure visitor satisfaction while Prayag (2008) made use of comfort facilities, safety, infrastructure, cultural attractions, shopping, ambiance, variety and accessibility. However, they failed to rank the factors in terms of importance to the visitors. Çoban (2012) made use of factors such as, tourist attractions, basic facilities, cultural attractions, tourism substructures and transportation options, natural environment, variety and economic factors and found that cognitive and affective dimensions affect the satisfaction of the visitors.

Similarly, Sakip, Akhir & Omar (2015) identified four main factors related to the parks such as Good of access and linkage (GAL), degree of comfort and image (DCI), users' activities (UAC) and sociability (SOC). They found that the GAL factor is the most important factor. Ray and Hossain (2015) identified concerned with the visitor's perception about the parks such as Safety and Security, Food and Beverage, Attractions, Price, Variety of Animals and Birds and the Environment. They found that "Attraction" factor was the most important to visitors while "Safety and Security" and "Variety of Animals and Birds" were the lowest affecting factors contributing to positive visitors' perception. The second and third most attitudinal factors are "Environment" and "Price" respectively. Ray, et al., (2013) determined ten identical attitudinal factors to measure visitor satisfaction among the visitors of Zia Park in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The attitudinal factors are Environmental (Natural & Artificial) Scenery, Safety and Security, Structure and Location, Transportation and Communication System, Management Services, Ride Facilities, Entertainment and Recreation Facilities, Visitors' Facility Services, Food and Beverage Facilities and Price Charges. The summary of the literature review is shown below in Appendix 1.

IV. RESEARCH METHODS

This purpose of this study was to identify the factors concerning the visitors' perception of the entertainment parks of Dhaka city. Both primary and secondary sources of information were used to conduct this study. Primary data was collected from the regular park visitors and the secondary data was collected from the books, magazines, journals, and the concerned association.

a) Sample Design and Determination of Sample Size

Respondents were selected from the visitors who frequently visit the entertainment parks of Dhaka city. To select the respondents, the interviewers went to the park(s) and interviewed at the spot. It was presumed that more than five hundred thousand people of Dhaka city usually visit entertainment parks of in a month. The sample size of this study was determined by using the following formula suggested by Yamane (1967),

where, n is the sample size, N is the population size, and e is the level of precision. For this study, level of precision is presumed as 0.07 and the population size is 5,00,000. Putting these values in the above equation, the required number of sample size becomes approximately 204. This figure is well above the critical sample size of 204 for employing multivariate analysis (Hair et al., 1998). However, two hundred fourteen visitors were interviewed for this study. Sample distribution is shown in Table 2.

b) Questionnaire Design

The structured questionnaire which was used in this study has been developed through a literature review. Responses to all the statements in the questionnaire were measured on a five-point scale ranging from 1 to 5 with 1 indicating strongly disagree and 5 indicating strongly agree. One of the relative advantages of using this scale is its suitability for the applications of multifarious statistical tools used in marketing and social research study (Malhotra, 1999). The collected data were statistically processed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The reliability statistics show that the internal consistency of the questionnaire is under the acceptable limit (Nunnally, 1978). The reliability of 55 items of the questionnaire is found 0.939 which is at the acceptable limit.

c) Data Collection & Analysis

Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was used for the purpose of analyzing the opinions of the visitors regarding the entertainment parks of Dhaka city. The survey was conducted in 2018, among the visitors of more than 30 parks located in Dhaka city – the capital city of Bangladesh. The interviewers were properly trained on the items included in the questionnaire for data collection before commencing the interview. Along with descriptive statistics ${}^3$, inferential statistical ${}^4$ techniques such as, Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with an Orthogonal Rotation (Varimax) ${}^5$ using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was performed on the survey data. Multiple Regression Analysis ${}^6$ was conducted to identify the significant factors related to the visitors' perceptions in about the entertainment parks of Dhaka city.

V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results of this study have been reported in two sub-sections such as results of factor analysis and results of multiple regression analysis. Factors analysis has been used to identify the factors that are related to the visitors' perception on entertainment parks in Bangladesh. Multiple regression analysis has been used to identify the significant factors concerning the visitors' perception on entertainment parks that are important for the improvement of the overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh.

a) Results of Factors Analysis

The results of Factor Analysis show that there are 12 independent factors concerned with the entertainment parks in Bangladesh. The factors are: (i) Medical and First Aid Services, (ii) Rides Price and Mobile Network, (iii) Facilities – Road Transport, Discount, Children, (iv) Trees and Gardens, (v) Park Employees Behavior & Sitting Facilities, (vi) Food and Toilet Facilities, (vii) Picnic Spot Facilities, (viii) Drinking Water Facilities, (vix) Attractiveness of the Park, (x) Quiet and Noiseless, (xi) Open for All Ages of People, and (xii) Enough Rides are Available (Table 4). These factors together explain 68.01% of the variance. This means that the data set used in this study covers 68.01% percent of the importance. The most important factors to the park visitors is the medical and first aid services followed by rides price and mobile network, facilities – road transport, discount, children, trees and gardens, park employees behavior & sitting facilities, food and toilet facilities, picnic spot facilities, drinking water facilities, attractiveness of the park, quiet and noiseless, open for all ages of people, and enough rides are available. The communalities of the variables also show very high indicating that the variables have strong relationships among them (Appendix 2).

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

The factors analysis results also show that the factors loadings of each factor are very high indicating that the variables constituted the factor(s) have a very strong association among them and constituted the factor(s). This means the correlations between the variables that are factor loadings have a very strong relationship to form a group and that is a factor (Table 5). However, variables number 13, 15, 18, 30, 33, 37, & 51, have factor loadings below than 0.50 and, hence, those are eliminated.

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 74 iterations.

b) Results of Multiple Regression Analysis

The results of multiple regression analysis show that the model identified by this study can explain 61.80% of the dependent variable i.e., the overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh (Table 6).

The analysis result also shows that the ANOVA is significant at the zero percent level of significant. That means the factors identified in this analysis are together significantly related to the overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh (Table 7). If there is a change of the individual factors together there will be change of the dependent variable that is overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh.

The regression analysis results also show that the significant relationships of the factors with the overall park environment in Bangladesh. The results show that the factors like rides price and mobile network, trees and gardens, picnic spot facilities, drinking water facilities, quiet and noiseless, and availability of enough rides are individually significantly related to the overall park environment in Bangladesh (Table 8). These factors are in very poor conditions in the entertainment parks in

Bangladesh that are to be improved. The factors such as, medical and first aid services, facilities – road transport, discount, children, park employee's behavior & sitting facilities, food and toilet facilities, attractiveness of the park, and open for all ages of people are not significantly related to the overall environment of entertainment parks in Bangladesh. The conditions of these factors are, perhaps, in a condition that is acceptable to the park visitors in Bangladesh.

a. Dependent Variable: Overall

VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study was conducted to identify the factors related to the entertainment parks in Bangladesh. As the number of park visitors is increasing day by day in Bangladesh, the identification of the perceptual factors is important to plan the parks for their improvements. This study shows that there are twelve areas concerning the environment of entertainment parks in Bangladesh such as, medical and first aid services followed by rides price and mobile network, facilities – road transport, discount, children, trees and gardens, park employees behavior & sitting facilities, food and toilet facilities, picnic spot facilities, drinking water facilities, attractiveness of the park, quiet and noiseless, open for all ages of people, and enough rides are available. These factors are together significantly related to the overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh.

Factors like rides price and mobile network, trees and gardens, picnic spot facilities, drinking water facilities, quiet and noiseless, and availability of enough rides are significantly related to the overall environments of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh. This indicates that if these factors are changed or addressed properly, the overall park environment will also be improved, and more visitors will be attracted. The factors including medical and first aid services, facilities – road transport, discount, children, park employee's behavior & sitting facilities, food and toilet facilities, attractiveness of the park, and open for all ages of people are found not significantly related to the overall environment of the entertainment parks. These areas of the park environment are acceptable to the visitors of the parks in Bangladesh.

This study only included the visitors' perception in its sample respondents. However, there is also an ample scope to conduct further study by park managers and owners as sample respondents and more variables into account that may produce more precise results concerning the overall environment of the entertainment parks in Bangladesh.

Appendix 1: Summary of Literature Review

Appendix 2: Communalities of the Variables