Hi! Thanks for the interesting question.
Disney like most US companies had a difficult time during the
aftermath of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
“For Walt Disney Co. and other theme-park operators, the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks continue to hurt sales, adding to their struggles
against a sluggish U.S. economy and competition for consumers’ leisure
time.”
“A 30 percent decline in attendance by customers from outside the
United States contributed to a 6 percent drop in overall attendance at
Disney’s U.S. parks in the quarter ended June 30, Chief Financial
Officer Thomas Staggs said in August. Hotel reservations at Disney’s
parks this quarter were at that time down 10 percent from the same
time a year earlier.”
Disney’s struggles highlight amusement industry’s woes
Decline in foreign tourism hurts parks
By ADAM STEINHAUER, Bloomberg News
http://www.news-press.com/biz/today/020905themeparks.html
This report mentions the last quarter of 2001 wherein Disney parks
really struggled.
“In all, revenue from Disney's park division, while still larger than
the gross domestic product of some small countries, plunged 17 percent
last quarter to $1.433 billion.”
Disney World Still Hasn't Rebounded From 9/11
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:-puosT78GpkC:www.talewinds.com/past_issues/2002/021902/10.html+Disney+theme+park+attendance+after+9/11+attacks+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Aside from the theme parks, other Disney park related establishments
suffered great setbacks after 9/11.
“To be fair, a faltering economy was already shaking the ground around
Cinderella Castle-and September 11 opened the fissure and swallowed it
down. Here's the short list of casualties:
• Disney Institute Resort and the former Dixie Landings side of Port
Orleans Resort both closed, the former never to open again.
• Pop Century, Disney's mini-city of economy hotel rooms set amid
nostalgia kitsch stopped construction, leaving all 5,000-plus rooms
vacant. Because the interiors of one of the phases of Pop Century are
not intact, it's been called Orlando's fanciest warehouse.
• At Downtown Disney, the boats (water taxis) were anchored, ceasing
all service. The bus stops at the far end of Downtown Disney Westside
(by House of Blues) were all closed (and remain so).
• Early park entrances, a popular benefit for guests staying on Walt
Disney World property, were scrapped in favor of early-morning
character greetings in the hotels. (I thought that's what character
breakfasts were for.) This enabled the parks to save money by opening
one hour (sometimes more) later.
• Also, the frequency of live productions, such as Beauty and the
Beast, Hunchback, Tarzan Rocks, and Festival of the Lion King were
cut. At MGM, the productions actually had dark days (no performances
at all). About half of all performers were let go or offered jobs
elsewhere in the company (so that's where those singing hot dog
vendors came from).
• Internally, cast celebrations--a mainstay for maintaining that
eerie yet expected employee cheerfulness--were "put on hold." Most
Christmas parties were canceled. The Service Awards Banquet--where
employees are recognized for 10, 15, 20, etc. years of service to the
company--weren't held. Same for the Partners in Excellence banquet.
• Disney University, the resort's employee training division, was
dispersed, with only the most essential classes kept. "Traditions,"
the new-employee orientation, was cut in half. Employee hours were
slashed, and nearly 2,000 positions were eliminated (the casting
center--hiring--was even closed). All this during the 100 Years of
Magic celebration. Very bleak.”
The 'New Normal' for Disney by J. Dana (July 1, 2002)
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/response.cfm?ID=574
In order to survive in these trying times, Disney theme parks have
tried other means so as to keep the business healthy.
“The Prudential report offers insight into how the company's theme
parks have recovered since the tourism slowdown after Sept. 11 and how
visitors' behaviors have changed.”
“For one, the company has cut $250 million in costs out of its
theme-park operations since Sept. 11, a fact that Disney officials say
previously has been reported.”
“Some of those savings came from reducing workers' hours and
temporarily shuttering restaurants and hotel rooms in the months after
the attacks. Workers' hours have since been restored, and many of the
shuttered restaurants and hotel rooms are back open.”
“Disney officials are monitoring guest-satisfaction surveys diligently
at the company's four theme parks near Orlando and two California
parks to make sure the cuts aren't too deep, the report said.”
Disney bookings appear healthy
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/moneystoryA24625A.htm
Search terms used:
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Answers.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga |
Clarification of Answer by
easterangel-ga
on
10 Sep 2002 20:12 PDT
I’m back. I have found quite a few other statistics and figures to go
with Disney park attendance other than what I have mentioned before.
The following are figures of attendance in different Disney theme
parks. Figures are from January 21, 2002.
Magic Kingdom, Orlando -- 14.7 million, down 4%
Disneyland, Anaheim, CA -- 12.3 million, down 11%
EPCOT, Orlando -- 9 million, down 15%
Disney-MGM Studios, Orlando -- 8.3 million, down 6%
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando -- 7.7 million, down 7%
Disney's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA -- 5 million
Amusement Park Attendance Down Overall Last Year
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/stories/012102_02.shtml
The Top 10 Most Visited Parks in the World (2001 attendance figures
are shown here in greater detail)
http://www.iaapa.org/media/mk-attendance.htm
“Parks and resort revenues for the company decreased 8 percent to $1.5
billion, while segment operating income decreased 15 percent to $280
million. Michael Gallant, analyst with CIBC World Markets Corp. in New
York, said though operating income was not as strong as figures a year
ago, they were a lot better than Wall Street had previously
anticipated.”
“’Consumers are returning to the parks," he said. "And they're
returning faster than the street expected.’”
“The vast difference in last year's results can also be attributed to
restructuring and impairment charges of $1 billion, or 44 cents a
share, which reflected a change in accounting rules. Adjusting for
those rules, Disney would have lost $449 million, or 22 cents a
share.”
Disney Reports Second-Quarter Gain despite Drop in Revenue
By Evan Pondel, Daily News, Los Angeles
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2002_Apr_26/k.LDD.1019844140.html
“Visitors to Disney World and Disneyland fell 40 percent in the first
weeks after the attacks, and while many domestic visitors have
returned, international visitors continue to stay away.”
Spirit of America endures
By JOHN DORSCHNER
Knight Ridder News Service
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/4034414.htm
I hope that this would be of further assistance to your research.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga
|
