Mickey works his magic in Paris

Disneyland Paris kicked off year-long celebrations of its 20th anniversary this month 2012 with the help of celebrities such as Zinedine Zidane and Salma Hayek. The celebrations will include extended hours, a new night-time show (Disney Dreams), a new parade and a new permanent backstage encounter with Mickey Mouse. Michelle Grant, travel and tourism industry analyst at Euromonitor International, explores the performance of Disneyland Paris.

A reversal of fortune
The Disneyland Paris complex was a subject of controversy during periods of negotiation and construction in the late 1980s and early 1990s when a number of prominent French figures voiced their opposition to it, calling it a ‘cultural Chernobyl’, while protests were held by French labour unions. The park had expected 11 million visitors during its first year but received only nine million. It also suffered from operational glitches, such as not serving wine. By learning from its mistakes, the park was able to reverse its fortunes and experienced a record year in 2011, claiming 15.6 million visitors.

The theme park has benefited from the European financial crisis which has seen travellers staying closer to home and opting for inexpensive trips. In 2011, 49% of visitors to the theme park were French while another 40% were from other European countries. The Disney Magical Moments Festival was a big draw for visitors when it was launched in the spring of 2011. The year-long festival allowed families to participate in unique experiences, such as taking part in shows as a character. The park launched an advertising campaign to support the festival, using with the tagline "The magic begins the moment you tell them". It featured user-generated content of families telling their children that they were going to Disneyland.

Leading Visitor Attractions in France 2006/2011
(figures show visitor numbers in 2006, then 2011, with the percentage growth)

Disneyland Paris  12,800.0  15,600.5    21.9
Notre dame  13,500.0  13,900.0    3.0
Sacre Coeur  10,500.0  10,700.0    1.9
Musee du Louvre  8,348.0  8,630.0    3.4
Tour Eiffel  6,695.1  6,900.0    3.1
Versailles  4,039.8  5,970.0    47.8
Centre Pompidou  2,742.6  3,200.0    16.7
Orsay Museum  3,009.2  3,050.0   1.4
Cite des Sciences  3,055.0  2,970.0    (2.8)
Parc Futuroscope  1,400.0  1,998.4    42.7
Parc Asterix  1,663.2  1,740.0    4.6
Source: Euromonitor International

The future looks bright
In 2012, Disneyland Paris announced that it is to spend €150 million on expanding the theme park, including a new attraction that will open in 2014. Industry sources speculate that the new attraction could be based on the Ratatouille movie. Investment in new attractions will give travellers a reason to return to the park and spend more time in its grounds. The 20th anniversary celebrations are likely to continue the momentum started by the Magical Moments Festival, so 2012 will likely be a good year for Disneyland Paris. It would appear that the economic uncertainty in Europe is likely to provide a boost to the theme park as families (according to the park, 66% of guests are families with young children) opt to stay closer to home and take short trips to such attractions.