Dow Jones Newswires -- July 6, 1998
Disney Fla. Theme Parks Untouched By
Fires; Attendance Good
By Kate Berry
MIAMI (Dow Jones)--Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) four theme parks in
Florida have been untouched by wildfires, the company said, and general
attendance is "good."
"We had a very good weekend, and we really don't have any attendance
changes, either up or down, that we could attribute to the fires," said Diane
Ledder, a Disney spokeswoman.
Disney, which operates the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and
Disney-MGM Studios, does not release figures on the number of visitors at
its parks.
"But general attendance is good," Ledder said.
Fires continued to burn in north Florida, from Daytona Beach to St.
Augustine, at the peak of the summer season. Last week, International
Speedway Corp. (ISCA) postponed its Pepsi 400 Nascar Winston Cup
Series race to October; the company expects to report a third-quarter loss
as a result.
The areas most effected include the counties of Brevard, Volusia and
Flagler, where 40,000 people evacuated from their homes last week were
allowed to return Monday.
So far, 458,288 acres in Florida have been burned by an estimated 1,946
fires since May 25, local fire officials said. A dense haze of smoke now
cloaks much of the state - though not Disney's theme parks, Ledder said.
"Most of the fires are east and north of us, not threatening the Walt Disney
property," she said. "It hasn't been cloudy or hazy, it's been quite clear. To
be on our property, you would never know that's going on."
There would be one sign, though: DisneyWorld's customary daily fireworks
show hasn't taken place since July 2.
No changes have been made at Animal Kingdom, which opened in April
and has 1,000 animals on 500 acres.
"Animals are pretty well-suited for the heat, and there's plenty of shade,"
Ledder said.
Nearly 47 million tourists visit Florida each year, with the numbers peaking
in spring and summer, said Maria Hayworth, director of publicity and
promotions at Visit Florida, a private-public partnership.
"There is no major drop-off in attendance or cancellations because of this,"
she said.
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