Gotta love it when statistics are used poorly.
I threw a party in 2014 and 3 people showed up. Charged $10 a person. Then in 2015 I threw a better party and 6 people showed up. I had a whopping 100% increase in revenue and attendance. My attendance DOUBLED. My gross income DOUBLED.
Meanwhile, my neighbor has been throwing parties at his 4-house complex for decades. 100 people last year, 110 this year. Revenue and attendance only went up a measly 10% at my neighbor's house. I'm gaining on him, right? Because I went up ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!!! OMG!!!! He only went up 10%! lol loser.
Except the truth is that his revenue increased more than mine. His attendance increased more than mine. But because I had so much room for improvement, my "numbers" look better if we use percentages rather than raw gains.
Obviously this is an exaggeration of numbers to illustrate a point, but the bottom line is that the numbers provided in the article are cherry picked: There's no scientific analysis to address the article's premise that Universal is "catching up". Rather, it only illustrates that Universal has had a boost comparing one quarter to another quarter a year later.
What is the average length of a guest stay at Universal vs. Disney? What's the average money spend on that vacation? Has the spike in Universal attendance actually taken anything away from Disney's attendance?
And then there's the question of where is it headed? Is Universal's growth sustainable? (Ans: definitely
not at the rates stated) Will there be diminishing returns on investments at Universal now that "most" people who wanted to experience the Wizarding Worlds have made their 1 or 2 trips to see them? Will the water park or the new Kong attraction be enough to bring these people back again, maintaining that attendance spike, or will people say "Ok, I've seen the Wizarding Worlds, I'm good for a little while."
Universal is hot right now, growth has been good, but sustainability is a different animal. Wizarding World 1 & 2 resulted in a giant boost, but getting 3rd and 4th and 5th time repeat visits, year after year takes a little bit more. It will be interesting to see how Universal tries to tackle the task of getting those kinds of annual returns and extended stays, especially if the novelty of the two Wizarding Worlds loses just a tiny bit of its edge.
The article may be right that Disney is "moving too slow [sic]", but there's a lack of depth and analysis. Raw percentages and numbers are one thing, but much of the "analysis" is opinion. The article is more editorial and speculative than it is analytical.
But this is a good time, regardless, because both resorts seem to be entering a stage where it's "game on," which is probably good for everyone.
