Attendance at
Disneyland Resort parks jumped 20 percent in winter months compared to the same period the previous year. The
Walt Disney Co. today released its
earnings for the first quarter of 2010, which runs from Oct. 4 to Jan. 2. (UPDATE: We just got additional figures from Disney about Disneyland Resort’s attendance.)
Top Disney officials credited a 20-percent attendance hike partly to the big-drawing New Year’s holiday, which fell in the second quarter of the previous year. The week between Christmas and New Years Day is traditionally among the busiest of the year at the Disneyland Resort.
But July to October also had a big jump in attendance with a 15-percent hike.
Overall, U.S. park attendance went up 9 percent in the first quarter.
Without the shift of the New Years dates,
Disneyland and
Disney’s California Adventure’s attendance in the first quarter would have jumped about 15 percent and Florida parks would have seen a 1-percent drop in attendance, said Jay Rasulo, chief financial officer for the Walt Disney Co., during a conference call with investors.
Fewer visitors, however, stayed at
Disneyland Resort’s three hotels:
Grand Californian,
Paradise Pier and
Disneyland hotels. There, occupancy was about 78 percent — 7 percent lower than the prior year, Rasulo said. Disneyland Resort hotel guests also spent less money.
So far since January, hotel bookings are down 10 percent compared to the previous year, Rasulo said.
Last year, Disney parks ramped up discounts, offering free nights, dining and gift cards with hotel packages as a way to bring in more tourists during the economic downturn.
Southern California residents also could get multi-day passes at reduced rates. But Disney officials are starting to reduce the discounts and are unsure when they will stop offering such promotions.
“We look at every quarter as we can, gauge the response to the consumer and act accordingly,” Rasulo said.
Worldwide, first-quarter revenues stayed flat for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, taking in about $2.7 billion. Profits dropped about 2 percent to $375 million, mostly because of decreased attendance and hotel stays at Disneyland Paris
