
Would you plan to travel to a foreign country if you knew there was even a small chance you can’t leave? That is the issue that many international tourists think about the United States today, and the Walt Disney Company saw this as a problem, especially in its theme parks.
During the a revenue call on Monday, Disney cited “international visitor headwinds” as a concern and the reasoning behind the theme park’s recent decline in attendance. What does “headwind” mean? What could possibly motivate people to not visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World? Well, it goes without saying, the company is clearly referring to the anti-immigration policies of President Donald Trump. As it happened very well documented on recent monthsallowed by Trump’s government ICE members to seize, withhold (and worse) almost anyone for any reason, even US citizens. If people who live legally in the US are at risk, how much risk is there for someone who doesn’t live here?
US international tourism is already seeing a significant 6% decline by 2025, at the same time that global tourism has increased by nearly 7%, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, via Reuters. As a result, Disney CFO Hugh Johnston explained that future promotional efforts will be more focused on bringing US customers to the parks. That worked.
Even with declining park attendance, that branch of the company is its most profitable. In the most recent quarter, it made about $10 billion in revenue, which accounted for 72% of the company’s revenue during that time period. A large part of this is because while fewer people attended Disney parks last quarter, they spent more, according to the Independent.
With the United States set to host other major international events in the coming years, notably the World Cup this summer and the Summer Olympics in 2028, it is expected that this issue will be one that is felt beyond Disney castles.
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