During the downturn, the most injured were small independent operators.
Editor’s note: This article comes from WeChat public account “Global Travel News” (ID: Traveldaily) .
During the downturn, large theme parks can use annual cards and loyal customers to reduce losses, but the most injured are small independent operators.
After Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have also been temporarily closed since February 29. Affected by the outbreak, Disney has closed all theme parks in its Asian region for the first time.
At the same time, Japan has closed several tourist attractions, schools, and national museums. The Disney Mall and Universal Studios in Osaka have also been closed and will reopen as early as March 15.
Tokyo Disney will be temporarily closed until March 15, but in contrast, the reopening of Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland has not yet been determined. It is reported that the parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai may be closed for several months.
In early February, Christine McCarthy, chief financial officer of Disney, predicted on the earnings call that the closure of two Disneyland parks in China will result in a total loss of US $ 280 million in operating revenue. This forecast is based on the closure of two parks. Assumption of the month.
With the closure of theme parks in Asia, Disney ’s parks in California and Florida have also attracted industry attention.
According to financial website Motley Fool, so far this year, the number of tourists received by the two Disneyland parks in the United States has reached a record high, but with the outbreak, the number of tourists has begun to decline, and tourists in the next few months The number is difficult to predict.
For Disneyland, which is crowded with tourists, the historic closure of the park happens to be at the worst point. At the end of February, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger suddenly resigned, and Bob Chapek, who had been in charge of the theme park business, was appointed as the new CEO, facing a huge test: If the park is closed prematurely, the financial impact will spread to several quarters; but If it’s too late, Disney could be criticized as an irresponsible business that puts money above the safety of tourists.
The spread of the epidemic globally has impacted major tourist attractions and activities. On March 1, the Louvre Museum, the world’s largest art museum, announced that it will continue to be closed from that day. The Beijing Palace Museum has been closed since January 25, and the opening time will be further notified.
Paris Disney is the only park outside the US market where the Walt Disney Company holds a majority stake. The French government recently imitated Switzerland (banning large-scale rally events with more than 1,000 people) and stopped.