When a facility boasts the highest annual number of guests out of all visitor attractions in Europe (12.3 million in 2005), it’s done a lot of things right. But of course in any business, complacency is a dangerous thing, especially in the theme park and attractions industry. And as far as Disneyland Resort Paris is concerned, the word is simply not in the vocabulary.

Despite its huge annual visitor numbers, Disney’s European masterpiece has still to turn a profit, a fact that has been well documented. But the determination of operating company Euro Disney Associés S.C.A. to improve this situation can be seen in the continued investment in all aspects of the resort, not least the 240€ million (US$288.3 million) it will invest between 2006 and 2008 in major new attractions and facilities at the Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios parks.

Everyone knows, of course, Disney offers great rides and attractions and a fantastic overall experience, but in discussions with Andrew de Csilléry, vice president of strategic planning and revenue development for the company’s Paris resort, about the next phase of investment, it’s clear the intention is not only to provide more for guests—potential visitors must be educated about the breadth and scope of Disneyland Resort Paris.

“Many Europeans do not understand what the resort concept is all about,” de Csilléry says. “We are constantly educating the public (guests, tour operators, travel agents, etc.) on everything our resort has to offer. We are so much more than just a one-day
destination, and once guests have understood all that we have to offer, they want to stay longer.”

Besides its two parks, the resort consists of Disney Village, the largest entertainment district in the region outside Paris, with a multiplex cinema (including an IMAX theater), restaurants, bars, boutiques, and PanoraMagique, the world’s largest tethered balloon; seven themed Disney hotels; Golf Disneyland (a 27-hole course); Val d’Europe International Shopping Centre; and La
Vallée Shopping Village.

“All of these activities make our resort incredibly appealing to guests,” de Csilléry continues, “but we also have other competitive advantages such as our proximity to European capitals via plane (connections to Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports) and train (68 trains per day including TGVs from France, Thalys from Belgium and Germany, and Eurostar from the United Kingdom). For local visitors there are two RER (suburban train line) stations and access to the main motorways to Paris and its surrounding areas.”

Not surprisingly, major new rides and attractions to be introduced over the next three years will add much to the overall offer in the parks. The rollout began in April with the opening of “Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast,” an interactive attraction in Disneyland based on the popular “Toy Story” character. Here guests are propelled into the heart of an action-packed space adventure combining the fast-paced energy of a video game with Disney storytelling, where they compete to save the future of battery-operated toys.

There is also a desire to offer more for families with young children in Walt Disney Studios, and this will come in the shape of Toon Studios, which is set to open in the spring of 2007. Taking the form of a new production zone, it will include attractions themed on some of the most popular Pixar-animated features. Brand new ideas and the latest technology will come together in an area to feature even more characters, who are the cast and crew of their own working studio. Guests will be able to take part in scenes from well-known animated films such as the highly popular “Finding Nemo” and the next Disney/Pixar release, “Cars,” due this summer.

Also, already a blockbuster attraction in other Disney resorts, the drop ride “Tower of Terror” is set to start thrilling visitors in early 2008.

“The attraction will be unmissable,” says de Csilléry, “not only for its monumental architecture and central position, but also for its dramatic storyline and sensational effects.”

Entering the lobby of an abandoned hotel with a mysterious past—in the 1920s a group of hotel guests disappeared without a trace—guests take the lift to the upper floors. Little by little the story of what happened to the hotel guests is revealed, before the climax of the attraction sends guests plummeting to the ground.

According to de Csilléry, each of the new attractions was “carefully chosen to meet the needs of our target groups and complement the existing experience,” and while these major ride-based attractions will grab most of the headlines, other improvements and innovations will also be made as part of this major investment program. These will include seasonal innovations such as new celebrations like the Welsh Festival and Saint Patrick’s Day, new additions to Disney Village such as the Nex Fun Bowling and Arcade in 2006 (2005 saw the opening of PanoraMagique and IMAX), and resortwide improvements, including hotel and park refurbishments.

New attractions were always planned to expand the offer at Walt Disney Studios, but other strategies have also been put in place in an effort to educate Europeans on the resort concept, notably in sales and marketing.

“We have recently made significant investments in sales and marketing initiatives,” says de Csilléry. “A comprehensive study of our key mar­kets has been carried out and we have new insight into our target markets.

“This study has helped us develop a new equity copy, ‘Believe in Your Dreams,’ which will help us leverage new forms of communication such as the Internet. Our recent segmentation study will also help us reach our target markets more effectively and efficiently and develop offers that correspond to their demands. All of these efforts will help us drive additional market penetration.”

So what will all of this do for visitor numbers? What do de Csilléry and his colleagues hope will also be achieved?

“Attendance is not our only measure of suc­cess,” he says. “We are also working on improving our other key indicators that are essential to busi­ness growth—per guest spending and hotel occu­pancy rates. In the end, we seek to drive volumes and spending, with a more balanced contribution between both, to reach sustained profitability and maintain our high guest satisfaction.”

Since first opening its gates in 1992, Disneyland Resort Paris, along with the rest of the industry, has seen the tourism business change considerably and has had to adapt accordingly. These changes continue as spending habits, demographics, travel, and other patterns move through differing phases, and the resort continues to change in response.

“The opening of new destinations as a result of low-cost airlines has certainly had an impact on our business and the tourism industry in general,” says de Csilléry. “We are aware of the importance of low-cost airlines and are working with all potential partners to make the most of this new opportunity.

“The Internet has also had a tremendous impact on the travel industry. Consumer behavior is changing and families are booking their holidays later and later. We have taken advantage of this phenomenon through special offers only available via the Internet and by partnering with some of the most important web sites.

“Europeans are also finding themselves with more leisure time, which means they take shorter breaks more frequently,” he says. “The easy accessibility of the resort from major European capitals has put Disneyland Resort in an excellent position to take advantage of this phenomenon.

“Although we started the resort concept in Europe, we have seen many of our competitors imitating our offer. We have become a trendsetter for the European market and this makes it all the more important for us to develop and expand the resort. We are also reaching out to new sectors via direct sales methods while maintaining the traditional sales channels in each of our target markets. According to recent surveys the resort has conducted, 81 percent of guests are already completely or very satisfied with resort experiences.”