Bob Iger Admits Disney World Tourism is Down Amid Fight With DeSantis

2022 was a really good year for the Walt Disney World Resort. Millions of Guests were ready to get out of their homes, put the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them, and spend some time at The Most Magical Place on Earth. One of the things driving Guests to the Florida Resort was the celebration of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. There were specialty foods and beverages, limited-time merchandise, and new rides to experience like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, both located in EPCOT.

Unfortunately, 2023 hasn’t been as kind to the House of Mouse. During a third-quarter earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that Walt Disney World Resort had seen a drop in the number of Guests who visited compared to the same time last year. However, Iger remained positive that the Resort was on the right track and was still very popular with both domestic and international travelers.

On a more positive note, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California has experienced an uptick in visitors. Iger did not say whether those visitors were visiting once, or if they were Magic Key Holders. In the past, Disneyland Magic Key Holders had been referred to as an “unfavorable attendance mix” by ex-CFO Christine McCarthy, but they are not letting that keep them from visiting The Happiest Place on Earth.

Why Less Visitors?

Despite the drop in Disney World visitors, the Florida theme park remains a popular place to visit. However, there are several factors that have contributed to the downturn.

One, of course, is price. When you add up the costs of theme park tickets, the hotel, food, and merchandise, a Disney vacation is not cheap. It gets even more expensive when airfare is added in. Then, there is the additional cost for families who want to purchase Disney Genie+, so they can try to get on more rides and not wait in exceptionally long lines. Everything has gotten more expensive, and people are still trying to come back from the pandemic recession, leaving some Guests to choose to vacation elsewhere.

In addition to the high cost of a Disney vacation, the state of Florida as a whole is seeing a dip in tourism due to new laws enacted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Florida legislature. Multiple organizations, including the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign, have issued travel advisories for those thinking of heading to the Sunshine State.

The Governor has recently changed the educational guide that Florida teachers must follow, claiming he wants to get rid of a “woke” curriculum. Part of this new curriculum requires teachers to tell students that slaves benefitted from slavery because of the useful skills they learned. Teachers are also being told to use information from Prager University — an unaccredited ultra-conservative program. One of the animated videos from Prager is making the rounds, as an animated Christopher Columbus says that being made a slave was better than being killed.

The Governor’s “anti-woke” crusade has extended to Disney World. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — which oversees Disney World — recently said it was ending Disney’s diversity, inclusion, and equity program. Disney has not responded to the new rule and has not said if it will change its training program.

In addition to changing the school curriculum, DeSantis has also expanded the controversial Parental Rights in Education bill to cover grades K through 12. A law was also passed that put transgender care in the same category as child abuse. That would allow the state to remove a child from a parent’s care if the other parent filed a complaint about the transgender care the child was receiving. This applies not only to residents of the state, but also visitors.

With all of those changes in the state — which many consider extreme — the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign have said that Florida is not a safe place for black or LGBTQ+ visitors.