Disney exec offers details on plans for future growth

[CareBlair]

Disney exec offers details on plans for future growth (02/26/2007)

Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, told investors at a recent analyst conference that Disney has a plan for "strong, continued growth over the next decade and beyond," not only from Disney's existing businesses, but also from "new geographies and new businesses."

"We have only scratched the surface of the worldwide travel market," Rasulo said.

Intent on "broadening our footprint," Rasulo said, Disney is looking at a number of options that depart from past practices, including putting Disney attractions in many places where they have not existed before, such as "resort hotels, RD&E centers or water parks," he said.

Disney's plans include expanding its Grand Collection of Hotels in a variety of ways, including regional resort properties outside of metropolitan areas, urban hotels, resorts in exotic destinations and boutique hotels.

The company also plans to expand its retail, dining and entertainment complexes.

In addition, the company wants to expand its theme parks in a different way than in the past, Rasulo said, noting that "not all parks have to be the size of our current parks. ..."

He added that Disney is contemplating a "smaller, deeply immersive park -- for now I'll call it a 'niche' park -- that could serve a much smaller daily audience in a more intimate setting."

http://www.travelweekly.com/articles.aspx?articleid=55226

 

[exDS vet]

I believe there was a thread about this same subject around a month ago.

 

[sters]

I would love to see this in Vegas!

 

[ChrisFL]

He added that Disney is contemplating a "smaller, deeply immersive park -- for now I'll call it a 'niche' park -- that could serve a much smaller daily audience in a more intimate setting."

http://www.travelweekly.com/articles.aspx?articleid=55226

While in some ways it sounds like a bad idea, I've also come up with an idea like this. Think Discovery Cove, a smaller park with only a small number of guests to enter every day, so there are never lines and everything is more relaxing.

It's difficult to do though without making people do reservations or making stuff reallly expensive.

 

[Another Voice]

It's difficult to do though without making people do reservations or making stuff reallly expensive.

The part about "making stuff really expensive" is the ONLY reason Disney is considering it in the first place. The inital concepts for these kinds of parks (the idea goes back more than ten years) was $200-$500 per day.