Disney denies Zika impact on Orlando park
Walt Disney Co. says the Zika virus has had no affect on its theme park business thus far.
There has been ‘no real impact’ on cancellations or future bookings, a spokesman told Bloomberg, responding to a note by analyst Rich Greenfield, suggesting people are reconsidering plans to visit Disney parks in Orlando.
Greenfield cited a survey published earlier this month that stated half of about 800 people planning trips have cancelled or opted not to visit Walt Disney World due to Zika fears.
"Given how meaningfully the cancellation/deferral rate appears to be, this is clearly a key question Disney should be pushing management to talk about," Greenfield said in the research note.
The number of affected people in the continental US is now at more than 3,000 according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Most of the locally transmitted cases of Zika have been traced back to two Miami neighbourhoods including Miami Beach, which has sparked some travel cancellations.
"We have heard of a handful of cancellations of small meetings that happen within hotels, especially for the latter part of this year and maybe for next year," said Rolando Aedo, executive vice president at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"For the most part, it’s business as usual."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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