In the current geopolitical climate, consumers considering visiting Disneyland in the US need travel agents who can “cut through the negative news”, emphasised Director of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Andrea Robinson.
In a panel discussion about the importance of Australian consumers at Sydney’s Disney Days trade event, several industry experts shared their observations of travel to the US right now.
“Your knowledge, your expert advice, your insider tips are so important right now, and there are headwinds out there that we can’t control,” Robinson said.
“Travelling to Disneyland Anaheim is safe. It’s secure, it’s magical. Right now, clients really need your reassurance, there is a lot of negative noise out there and we need to cut through.”
According to stats from IATA, there was an 8% year-on-year increase in travel to California from Australia in April, she added.
United Airlines’ Regional Manager Tim Wallis noted “that negative sentiment is not resonating in our numbers yet”.
In terms of Aussies flying to the US, April was a strong selling period and “all things point to positive flight performance and demand for the US”.
“Demand is still very strong. I was having a look at Los Angeles in particular and it is five to six points up in load factors over the next couple of months in terms of where we were at the same time last year,” Wallis said.
Meanwhile, Robinson noted that at Disneyland Resorts, Australia is the third largest international market, with an average stay of 2.8 days, longer than any other market.
More broadly speaking, Michael Young, Director from Visit Anaheim, added that on average, Australians spend 6.3 nights in the region during their Disneyland trip, followed by New Yorkers, who stay for 3.5 nights.
“You stay longer, you spend more, and you’re experienced travellers,” Young said.
“Travel’s in your DNA, and it’s just been a symbiotic relationship from the get-go.”
In terms of trends, the panel discussed the rise of multigenerational travel, which is popular at Disney parks and cruises, although Robinson observed that while the grandparents may pay for the holidays, it is often the mother who is the key decisionmaker.
“From a marketing point of view, both audiences are incredibly important, and we need to influence them,” she said.
Off the back of that, AWOKs (adults without kids) are another popular demographic at Disneyland that should not be overlooked.
Meanwhile, Robinson also reported that Disney Cruise Line had a sell-out first season, which was followed by a strong second season.
“And of course we’re back for a third season, which actually speaks volumes about the importance of this market,” she said.
Disney Destinations’ Amy Mortlock and Steph Johnson did a presentation covering Disneyland Resorts’ 70th anniversary, which officially takes place in July, although festivities have already begun.
Celebrations include experiences such as the return of the ‘Pain the Night’ parade, the debut of water spectacular ‘World of Color Happiness’, daytime parade ‘Better Together – A Pixar Pals Celebrations’ and plenty more.
Mortlock and Johnson also discussed the newest ships joining the fleet: Disney Treasure joined in Dec last year, sailing to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral and Disney Destiny will be unveiled in November this year, with a ‘Heroes and Villains’ theme throughout.
Meanwhile, Disney Adventure will be the cruise line’s first ship to sail from Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia this Dec, with capacity for 6,000 guests.
“We have four more ships joining the Disney Cruise Lines, ever growing fleets between 2027 and 2031 with six ships sailing and already more in the works,” said Johnson.
“These additional ships will bring the Disney Cruise Line fleet to total of 13 ships. That’s double what we have at the moment, which offers guests even more ways to experience magical vacations at sea with Disney Cruise Line.”
