Interesting Attendance Information

[Another Voice]

Here’s an interesting bit from the Orlando Sentinel:

Trouble in paradise

Orlando isn't the only major tourist destination suffering slower business this summer. Hawaii's visitor counts are down 1.5 percent in the first six months of this year, said James Cammisa, a travel industry analyst in Miami.

That's still better than the Orlando area -- off an estimated 3 percent in the first half. Meanwhile, Las Vegas' visitor count rose a modest 1.2 percent, as did California's.

Orlando Sentinel 9-09-01


What’s interesting is that published reports are stating that Walt Disney World’s attendance is off from 6% to 8% so far this year. Why is WDW’s fall-off so much higher than everyone else, including the rest of Orlando? If the bump for the Millennium Celebration were a factor, wouldn’t it be reflected in the Orlando numbers as well? And despite be economy, both Las Vegas and California are showing increases, what did they do that WDW didn’t?

Maybe there’s a good reason the suits in the Team Disney buildings are scared.

 

[KnightsQwn]

Alot of my friends stayed closer to home this year...

And I contributed to the LV #'s

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I think the answer is simple...most of the interesting new stuff isn't in Disney. If you want thrills, chills & the completely new the best place to go is...to the variety of other parks not on Disney property. Plus...if you look around you can get some amazingly low ticket prices to other parks. Its tough to find a bargain in Disney to match it.

You didn't say but I wonder if the length of stays are down as well. Because if it is that's an additional reason to check out Universal or Sea World over Disney. You see something new & get to squeeze it in, in the 4 or 5 days you have.

 

[AKemel]

Hey, may be it is because the people who go to WDW are sometimes family, mostly sensible people who when times get hard cut down. If you like to lose money in Vegas, the less money you have, the more reasons there are to forget how tough times are and go for broke. Vegas is based on people wanting to lose money and it is booming.

 

[JeffH]

Again...
Because attendance was WAY up last year as a result of the Millenium Celebration and a booming economy.
We need to compare to 1998/99, not 1999/2000

 

[MickeyMoose15]

Hopefully the 100 Years of Magic Celebration will make the attendance go up.

 

[JeffH]

Aside from the Millenium Celebration inflating the numbers for 1999-2000, the loss of it (Millenium Village) and lack of anything new, surely led to the unusual dip and unless Disney follows Mission:Space with several other improvements (notibly fix JitYI and add BK), there will be another dip after the 100 year celebration. But Mickey (75th?) birthday is right around the corner, so that will probably mean at least Mickey's Philharmonic at the MK, in addition to Mission:Space.

 

[njDISNEYnut]

Back in June my family was in WDW for about two weeks including a DCL. While there I took distinct notice of the lack of crowds. Many a ride we walked right onto without await. On the last day of our trip, while in Downtown Disney, I struck up a conversation with a CM who was from the town next to me in NJ. She made an excellent point in that there is only a limited amount of diehard mouse fans such as us, and that the normal WDW visitor does not come back every year, but rather every couple of years. She said that WDW did such a marketing push for the milenium celebration, that 2000 was a banner year with overwhelming crowds, even during the low seasons. She said that Walt's 100th next year will bring back a good many of the every couple of years group. Well, it doesn't matter, becasue people like us just go.

06/01-AKL, DCL, BWV
11/00-Wyndham
05/00-BWV/DCL
11/98-BWV/DCL
11/96-Y&B Club
05/90-FW
10/88-Contemp

02/02-Poly, DCL
12/02-GF

 

[JeffH]

I remember when the Millenium Celebration began we went up to meet some friends about the 3rd weekend of October 1999. The weather had been pretty bad the 1st 2 weeks October (the beginning of the Millenium Celebration), so I guess everyone decided to go that weekend because every hotel at WDW and on 192 was filled (and the few rooms that were left were being horribly scalped, eg:$149/night at the Travellers Inn...a real dump). I know this because my brother (who was financing the trip) failed to make reservations, so we literally went from hotel to hotel (those that didn't display no vacancy) from Kissimee to I-27. The demand was so great that many hotels had to makeshift no vacancy signs in the windows to keep the crowds away.
We ended up driving home (after reaching the end of 192), and missing the meeting.

 

[Bob O]

My family went during the last celebration and enjoyed ourselves. But for a family of 5 it does costs thousands to go and we will go again but nothing in the new celebration that ive seen makes me want to invest the money and go right away. They need to do something original ala toyoko disneysea's i think to drive up attendance. I dont feel a copy of carny rides and made over parades which may be nice justify the spending of thousands of dollars when there are alot of great vacation destinations to choose from in this country, and alot of them are far less expensive. Disney is living off there past reputation and doing nothing new to enhance and you cant do that for along time and not see it hit the bottom line. I love wdw but my kids who are 9 and 16yoa dont have the same love for disney and perfer universal/IOA and if alot of kids feel similiar feelings that doesnt bode well for the future unless something is done to make disney more appealing to all age groups. Most kids now werent brought up on the disney channel but perfer rugrats etc.

 

[King Triton]

Look on the bright side for us Disney fans.....shorter lines for the rides. Yeah!!!

King Triton