Theme Parks Still Looking for Visitors
(LA Times) -- Eighteen months after its grand opening, Walt Disney Co.'s California Adventure is struggling more than its counterparts, still trying to find an audience at a time when the nation's theme parks are grap-pling with how to attract patrons in a weak economy. Nationwide, attendance this year at theme parks is ex-pected to be down about 15%, analysts said. At Disney's California Adventure, attendance is forecast to be off 20%, while its companion park, Disneyland, probably will see no change in attendance figures. At California Adventure, which has never reached its original target capacity of 30,000 guests in one day, a summer promo-tion touting free admission for Southern California children was rolled out for the second year in a row. "People still don't get what [California Adventure] is about," said Tim O'Brien, a senior editor at Amusement Business, which tracks attendance and other industry trends. "And that's an extra dose of hurt on top of all the external factors everyone else is dealing with." Paul Pressler, chairman of Walt Disney Co.'s Parks & Resorts Division, said California Adventure has responded to some visitors' complaints, including that there isn't enough for small children to do and that it is short on thrills. Four kiddie rides will debut in October, and a Tower of Terror attraction -- copied from the popular ride at Walt Disney World in Florida -- will arrive in 2004. "We didn't antici-pate some of the changes we'd need to make, but we've listened closely to our guests," Pressler said. "We had some perception problems in the beginning, and we're still trying to overcome them." Now almost through its second summer season, the cost cutting at the park, spurred by low attendance, is more apparent than ever. The largest food court there has been closed since Christmas, as have one other food area and a res-taurant. Hours have been cut at other restaurants, with some open only on weekends, making it difficult to find places to eat. Pressler said a lack of demand this summer has prompted the closures of some restaurants in-side California Adventure, which also has shorter operating hours than Disneyland and tends to clear out after the Main Street Electrical Parade as guests flock back to Disneyland for an additional two or three hours. The wildly popular event was pulled from retirement last year; park sources said the initial boost in attendance it garnered has begun to taper off.
"If we come over here for anything, it's just to see the parade and then we're out of here," said Tony Quinn, a longtime annual passport holder who lined up for the nightly show in California Adventure with his wife and two small children. "They don't have the big family rides, the fireworks or anything close to the Fantasmic that we can get over at Disneyland. Here, it's go in, get out. Disneyland still holds us all day long." Pressler blames some of the attendance issues on the drop-off in international tourists -- which make up 20% of the two Disney theme parks' overall visitors -- and guests being more careful this summer with their spending. But Disneyland continues to perform solidly. Last weekend, Disneyland's attendance topped 50,000 on Saturday, while Cali-fornia Adventure's skimmed the 17,000 mark, said management sources. Disneyland has never discounted admission during the summer, nor has it offered free admission for children. "We're still struggling with getting awareness up" for California Adventure, Pressler said. "Once people go, our feedback is always very positive. We just need to bring in some added horsepower, and I think the new things we're doing like Tower of Terror will really help get us where we want to be."
(LA Times) -- Eighteen months after its grand opening, Walt Disney Co.'s California Adventure is struggling more than its counterparts, still trying to find an audience at a time when the nation's theme parks are grap-pling with how to attract patrons in a weak economy. Nationwide, attendance this year at theme parks is ex-pected to be down about 15%, analysts said. At Disney's California Adventure, attendance is forecast to be off 20%, while its companion park, Disneyland, probably will see no change in attendance figures. At California Adventure, which has never reached its original target capacity of 30,000 guests in one day, a summer promo-tion touting free admission for Southern California children was rolled out for the second year in a row. "People still don't get what [California Adventure] is about," said Tim O'Brien, a senior editor at Amusement Business, which tracks attendance and other industry trends. "And that's an extra dose of hurt on top of all the external factors everyone else is dealing with." Paul Pressler, chairman of Walt Disney Co.'s Parks & Resorts Division, said California Adventure has responded to some visitors' complaints, including that there isn't enough for small children to do and that it is short on thrills. Four kiddie rides will debut in October, and a Tower of Terror attraction -- copied from the popular ride at Walt Disney World in Florida -- will arrive in 2004. "We didn't antici-pate some of the changes we'd need to make, but we've listened closely to our guests," Pressler said. "We had some perception problems in the beginning, and we're still trying to overcome them." Now almost through its second summer season, the cost cutting at the park, spurred by low attendance, is more apparent than ever. The largest food court there has been closed since Christmas, as have one other food area and a res-taurant. Hours have been cut at other restaurants, with some open only on weekends, making it difficult to find places to eat. Pressler said a lack of demand this summer has prompted the closures of some restaurants in-side California Adventure, which also has shorter operating hours than Disneyland and tends to clear out after the Main Street Electrical Parade as guests flock back to Disneyland for an additional two or three hours. The wildly popular event was pulled from retirement last year; park sources said the initial boost in attendance it garnered has begun to taper off.
"If we come over here for anything, it's just to see the parade and then we're out of here," said Tony Quinn, a longtime annual passport holder who lined up for the nightly show in California Adventure with his wife and two small children. "They don't have the big family rides, the fireworks or anything close to the Fantasmic that we can get over at Disneyland. Here, it's go in, get out. Disneyland still holds us all day long." Pressler blames some of the attendance issues on the drop-off in international tourists -- which make up 20% of the two Disney theme parks' overall visitors -- and guests being more careful this summer with their spending. But Disneyland continues to perform solidly. Last weekend, Disneyland's attendance topped 50,000 on Saturday, while Cali-fornia Adventure's skimmed the 17,000 mark, said management sources. Disneyland has never discounted admission during the summer, nor has it offered free admission for children. "We're still struggling with getting awareness up" for California Adventure, Pressler said. "Once people go, our feedback is always very positive. We just need to bring in some added horsepower, and I think the new things we're doing like Tower of Terror will really help get us where we want to be."