AusLeisure

Aiming to boost its repeat visitor numbers and reduce overcrowding, Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land aims to expand with the introduction of new attractions.

Outlining plans to increase the annual number of visitors to its theme parks by 10% to 33 million over the next 10 years, Oriental Land Co. President Kyoichiro Uenishihas announced that the company plans to expand the theme parks by making use of the surrounding land backed by a total investment of about 250 billion yen (US$2.5 billion) over the next five years.

At Tokyo Disneyland, Oriental Land will create a new area inspired by the animated movie Beauty & the Beast, aiming for an opening in 2020.

At Tokyo DisneySea, the company is considering introducing a new draw themed on Frozen, another animated film, in fiscal 2021 or later.

In an interview with Japanese news outlet The Yomiuri Shimbun Oriental Land Co. President Kyoichiro Uenishi stated “the current planned site does not have enough area to re-create the worlds of the movies."

The resort enjoys overwhelming status among theme parks in Japan but surveys show a considerable drop in its customer satisfaction ranking over recent years.

More than 30 million people visit Tokyo Disney Resort annually, posing another set of challenges, including long waiting times due to large crowds.

To address these challenges, Oriental Land will close attractions that currently fail to attract large crowds and will repurpose those areas to even out the flow of people. The company is also considering ways to make it easier for visitors to shop and do other things while waiting in lines.

Profitability of the resort has been boosted by Oriental Land raiseing the park entrance fees over three consecutive years with a one-day ticket for each park costing 7,400 yen (US$72) per adult (aged 18 or older).

Commenting on these trends, Uenishi stated “customer satisfaction levels do not meet our goals” but added that prices may rise further, adding “we’ll look at the balance between the value of our facilities and the feelings of visitors carefully, and potentially increase ticket prices with appropriate timing.”

Images: Tokyo Disney Sea (top) and Tokyo Disney's enchanted castle (below).

27th May 2016 - ASIAN THEME PARKS LEAD GLOBAL ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY GROWTH

5th February 2016 - DISNEY TO PRICE SHANGHAI THEME PARK TICKETS CHEAPER THAN HONG KONG

2nd November 2014 - DISNEY REVEALS PLANS FOR MASSIVE EXPANSION OF TOKYO THEME PARKS 

15th March 2013 - RECORD YEAR PREDICTED FOR TOKYO DISNEY RESORT

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