3.

What do you consider are the main factors and strategies that have contributed to the success of
Disney Parks in the US and Tokyo and those that have contributed to Disney Paris to encounter all
the described issues and problems? How do they compare?

Reasons for success of Disneyland America

 One of first Mega theme parks: When America was gripped by consumerism, and kids and
parents alike were bombarded with Disney characters left and right, a theme park dedicated
only to Disney was like a Godsend. People flocked to see the larger than life rides,
sculptures, mascots and more.
 One of the first Shopping Mall: Almost synchronously with the first shopping malls opening
up in America, walt Disney also added the shopping element to the parks. People rushed to
get souvenirs and memories. The opportunity to get stuff related to their favourite
characters was too huge to pass up for American Audience
 Cultural connect (Purely American): A Disneyland trip with the family became almost a rite
of passage for the American populace. With increasing spare income and time, families
flocked to these theme parks to have fun for adults and kids alike
 Emotional connection: American population got an outlet to express their love for the
characters that they held so dear to their hearts. The park came to hold a special place in the
heats of everyone and was further romanticized by the media and other fans
 Fan Service: Everything was perfectly planned in these mega theme parks starting from the
monorails designed to let the customers alight only near the shopping areas to the carefully
positioned souvenir shops after rides. These added to the delight of the fans and made them
repeat customers

Reasons for success of Disneyland Tokyo

 High Population: Tokyo had a population of 8.3 Million when Disneyland Tokyo opened. This
naturally resulted in more people trying out the park and word of mouth spreading
 Romanticized American culture: The theme parks were Americanized (in a good way) for
the Japanese populace. It let people have a taste of what America stood for (although in a
trumped-up manner) and delighted them
 High per capita income: Tokyo had a high per capita income of around $10,300 which
contributed to more spare income which could be invested in leisure
 Proximity to main city: Disneyland Tokyo is only 6 miles from downtown Tokyo which
contributed to its success. A lot of people thronged to the theme park for its convenience
 Great weather: Tokyo in general is a warm city (around 52 degrees F) and is overcast vest
less. This made for sunny warm days in which each ride operated in perfect condition and
presented a way for the population to go out and enjoy themselves
 Opened during booming economy: When the park was opened, Japan was experiencing
unprecedented growth in terms of economy. This was a crucial factor in the feeling of
wellbeing and confidence to spare some amount for leisure
 Popularized Family outings: This factor which might not be obvious at first is considered by
many to the the most important one. In general. leisure and adults enjoying themselves was
not part of Japanese lifestyle. Disneyland presented everyone with an avenue to let loose
and have fun. It was a fun place for both kids and adults alike and families spent a lot of tme
here
  Steady cash flow allowing it to keep investing in new rides: with around 80% of customers
being repeat customers, Disneyland Tokyo had steady income and could invest the same in
improving the rides and introducing better elements which kept attracting more people

Reasons for failure of the Disneyland Paris(compared to Tokyo)

 Comparatively lower per capita income: With a per capita income of $7200(compared to
$10,300 of Japan) at the time of opening of the park, not a significant part of population
could regularly afford the park
 Lower Population: The population of Paris was only 2.3 Million (compared to 8.5 Million of
Tokyo) . This resulted in lower footfalls and relatively lesser word of mouth marketing for the
parks
 Distance from the town: Disneyland Paris is 20 miles outside Paris(which was very less for
Disneyland Tokyo i.e. 6 miles from downtown Tokyo). Thus, inhabitants had to go way out of
their way to reach the park
 Cloudy and cold weather: The average number of rainy days is 3 times higher in Paris
compared to Tokyo. Combine that with a perpetually colder weather, and you get a recipe
for lower footfalls and thus lesser business. This was off putting for many, especially families
with small children
 Lack of cultural focus: When the parks were opened in Paris, not a lot of thought was put
into accommodating the cultural aspect of Europe and this resulted in a lot of backlash as
the park was seen to be promoting American culture in the minds of the residents. Basically
the complaints received were that Disneyland Paris was too Americanised ( which worked
with Tokyo as the American culture was romanticized there)
 Traditional difference between employment standards of Tokyo and Paris: whereas there
is a culture of obsequence bordering on reverence for the chain of command in Tokyo,
which was not the case for Paris. They considered themselves to be independent thinkers
and questioned every command. This led to more friction and more number of employees
being fires or quitting
 Quality and design standards of U.S. parks deemed inadequate for European marketplace.
 Cultural differences: Disneyland Paris was neither internationalized nor French in nature.
Unlike Americans, Europeans didn’t consider Disneyland to be that big of a deal and didn’t
pull out their children out of schools to visit Disneyland. They also didn’t hold Disney
characters that close to their hearts which resulted in fewer repeat customers