“Inclusion is Essential to Our Culture”: Disney World VP Shares What Makes the Parks So Successful

Visiting a Disney Park is an unforgettable experience that is cherished by Guests all over the world. The Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, including their Parks such as Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disneyland Park, and Disney California Adventure Park are among the top destinations for a Disney-themed vacation. The Disney Resorts stand out for providing immersive Theme Park experiences and enabling visitors to live out their Disney dreams and have a wonderful Disney vacation.

Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney

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Any Disney Fanatic knows the pleasure and joy of going to a Disney Theme Park and enjoying the myriad rides and attractions on offer. Whether its a ride like Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park, or Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there’s something for everyone.

And it’s that precise characteristic that makes the Parks so special, according to Kartika Rodriguez, Vice President of EPCOT at Walt Disney World.

Tree of Life, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Walt Disney World Resort/Courtesy of Disney

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Forbes spoke with Rodriguez, who shared the secret behind the success of the Parks. She shares that technology, inclusion and education are at the heart of what makes the Parks work.

On technology, she shared, “Technology is here to stay, and it’s up to us to continue to try different ways to improve our guest’s experience in general.”

She explained that this technology at the Parks is what allowed a lot of young children to dream bigger and realize their ambitions, using the example of a little boy at the restaurant Space 220 who walked away from the experience with the desire to be an astronaut or an engineer.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park, Walt Disney World Resort/ Courtesy of Disney

Educating Guests about different cultures is also at the heart of the Disney experience at EPCOT. As  fans would know, each pavilion has Cast Members from the respective country, allowing Guests to interact with people from different cultures.

“They get a chance to experience different foods, they get to see architecture, [and] our culture reps talk about their culture,” explains Rodriguez.

Spaceship Earth, EPCOT, Walt Disney World Resort/Courtesy of Disney

“Understanding that there’s a multitude of stories out there, then bringing that together to be able to tell our guest’s and people’s stories from around the world so that people can connect and see themselves, and hopefully be inspired by our stories,” explains Rodriguez.