Growth of Disney’s Theme Parks Means Stable Cash Flow for Company

The Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort is the most-visited theme park in the world.

Just last year the park logged 18.6 million visitors which was a growth of 6 percent over 2012. As a whole, the Disney theme parks around the world had more than 132 million visitors last year.

These numbers translate into cash flow for Disney. It has been estimated that the Disney theme parks in the United States account for close to 20 percent of the company's stock value and 25 percent of the company's revenue.

Guest spending and attendance is continually on the rise at the Disney's U.S. theme parks. In 2009, the per capita guest spending was $95 but in 2013 that rose to an estimated $124. The increase is attributed to an increase in ticket prices.

The increase in guest attendance at the U.S. theme parks (from 70 million in 2009 to 75 million in 2013) has been attributed to an improving economy and new attractions at the resorts.

Guest attendance and spending numbers will likely continue to increase in the coming year, thanks in part to the new attractions Disney is developing including the Avatar Land project at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

One projection sees Disney's U.S. theme park attendance to reach more than 95 million, and per captia guest spending to increase to $164 by 2020.

This increase would mean Disney's theme park revenue would be nearly $10 billion by the end of the decade.

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