According to the New York Times, attendance at Disney theme parks worldwide is down. A report released on June 1 indicates an increase in ticket prices might be the reason people are not attending the parks as they have been done in the past.
Ticket prices rise
The price of tickets has increased by 20 percent during peak periods. Back in February, Disney began using a “seasonal pricing system.” This means the cost of tickets depends on the time of year people visit the park.
Needless to say, tickets are more expensive during peak periods. For instance, a ticket during those times costs $124 compared to a ticket that costs $107 during a non-peak period.
Decline in attendance
Profits for the Walt Disney Company are not always based on attendance. Even though the company reported a decline in attendance, Walt Disney reported $3.3 billion revenue in 2016 which was up 9 percent from the year before.
Records show a decline in attendance at 13 Disney parks worldwide. This includes every park except the new park that just opened this year at the Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney issued a statement that the company is investing in ongoing construction projects at several of the parks to bring more magical experiences that will go far beyond the expectations of guests.
Biggest declines
The report shows the biggest declines are in the parks located overseas. For example, attendance dropped 14 percent at Disneyland Paris. Terrorism fears across Europe probably contributed to the decline in attendance at that park. Hong Kong Disneyland blamed bad weather on its 10 percent drop. Disney parks in the United States saw the smallest declines. Attendance at the Magic Kingdom was down only 0.5 percent, and Disneyland was down only 2 percent.
Projections for 2017
While attendance was down in 2016, officials say the parks are expected to return to their usual attendance in 2017. In fact, the parks might even surpass what they have ever experienced in the past. Executives are counting on "The World of Avatar" that opened at Disneyland in Orlando last month to continue to draw big crowds.
Recently, it was noticed that people have been waiting as long as four hours to board rides. While that is not good for impatient visitors, it is a very good sign for the park.
While attendance has been down, Disney theme park is still #1 in the world with over 139 million visitors in 2016. It is doing better than its competitors. Disney had twice the annual attendance of its closest competitor, Merlin Entertainments in Britain. Disney had more than three times the attendance of its #3 competitor, Universal Parks and Resorts with 47.4 million visitors at its five parks worldwide.