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Longer stays tripled spending
Why people stayed
Harrison Price led the Stanford Research Institute's research for Disneyland. He judged that rethinking the American amusement park had striking and immediate business consequences. Disneyland could hardly have been farther from a carnival or fairground, and because it was a pleasant place, people stayed longer. Because they stayed longer, they spent more.
The numbers
The original model charged $1 for admission and sold booklets of ride tickets in different grades. The park drew 3.6 million visitors in its first year and more than 4 million in its second, making it more popular than the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park. Disneyland has had more than 900 million visits since opening.
Today
Today people spend about 14 hours a day at the parks and often multiple days, and a week at Disney World. Parks and cruises produce $36 billion in revenue and $10 billion in profit per year, twice the profit of Disney's entertainment division.
What was Disneyland's model before it opened?
Walt visited amusement parks including Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which opened in 1843. Older American parks were mostly collections of rides and games along a midway. Disneyland organized its attractions into themed lands, with a single entrance and a clean, landscaped look. The original design priced rides through ticket books, with A through E tickets for different attractions.
Why does staying longer raise spending?
Time on site gives a visitor more chances to buy food, souvenirs, and extra attractions. Retailers study dwell time in shopping centers for the same reason. A pleasant environment lengthens the stay. Disney designed Main Street so guests pass shops as they enter and leave.
Who was Harrison Price?
Price was an economist at the Stanford Research Institute who studied sites and attendance for Disneyland. He later founded Economics Research Associates, a firm that advised theme parks and other attractions. He stayed close to Disney for decades. His methods were adopted across the amusement industry.
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