disneyland case study v2
CASE 2 – 1 THE NOT SO WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY –HAS DISNEY LOOKED TO IT’S PAST TO SECURE IT’S FUTURE?
Introduction – With over 15 million visitors in 2014, Disneyland Paris is officially Europe’s most visited tourist destination. And in 2015, Disney will open its largest park ever in mainland China. But Disney resorts have had a difficult history and heavy debt across several of the theme parks continues to lead many to ask what is the future of Disneyland?
A Troubled History - In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney (Disney) had built to date-bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan.
Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night.
In 1994, financial losses were becoming so massive at EuroDisney that Michael Eisner had to step in personally in order to structure a rescue package. EuroDisney was put back on firm ground. A two -year window of financial peace was introduced, but not until after some acrimonious dealings with French banks had been settled and
Introduction – With over 15 million visitors in 2014, Disneyland Paris is officially Europe’s most visited tourist destination. And in 2015, Disney will open its largest park ever in mainland China. But Disney resorts have had a difficult history and heavy debt across several of the theme parks continues to lead many to ask what is the future of Disneyland?
A Troubled History - In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney (Disney) had built to date-bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan.
Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night.
In 1994, financial losses were becoming so massive at EuroDisney that Michael Eisner had to step in personally in order to structure a rescue package. EuroDisney was put back on firm ground. A two -year window of financial peace was introduced, but not until after some acrimonious dealings with French banks had been settled and