Ticket Prices for Disneyland to Be Cut to $20

Disneyland said Monday that, for the first time in its 35-year history, it will temporarily cut its price at the admission gate, a step that analysts saw as a further sign of the recession’s impact on tourism in the Southland.

From Saturday until March 3, Disneyland’s one-day admission price will be slashed to $20 for adults and children who live in Southern California. The park now charges $27.50 for adults and $22.50 for children 3 to 11 years old.

Knott’s Berry Farm recently announced a reduction in the price of children’s tickets and said last week that it will temporarily close the Buena Park theme park on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the first time in five years. Knott’s officials have contended that neither move was a result of the weak economy.

“I think the price cut is a reflection of obviously deteriorating economic conditions,” Mark Manson, an analyst for Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette in New York, said of the Disneyland decision. “Historically, admission at Disney’s theme parks has suffered during recessions, and there is no reason why this recession would be any different.”

Disneyland officials said the price cut has been planned since last September as a way to increase attendance during the traditionally slow winter season.

“It’s a change so that Southern Californians can come out and go on all the rides and attractions that have been their favorites for 35 years,” said Disneyland President Jack Lindquist.

Economic conditions are a factor, Lindquist said, but “I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s totally a response to that.”

Disneyland has raised its prices 11 times since June, 1982. The latest increase, in October, boosted the cost for a family of four--two adults and two children--to an even $100. With the temporary price cuts, the same family would pay $80.

Through most of the year, Disneyland visitors are about equally divided between people from the Southland and those outside. During the winter, however, the park relies more heavily on Southern California visitors.

Disneyland has offered corporate discounts, special company employee nights and other discount programs, among them a promotion last year in conjunction with Vons supermarkets. But the $20 admission price marks the first time Disneyland has offered a discount directly at the admission gate.

As part of its Resident Salute promotion, Disneyland is also offering a night’s stay at the Disneyland Hotel, hotel parking and two tickets to the theme park for $119.

Although price cuts are new to Disneyland, the Walt Disney Co. has been offering Florida residents a $10 discount off the regular adult admission prices to Walt Disney World, Epcot Center or the Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park, all near Orlando, Fla.

Under the Disneyland program, any adult can buy up to five admission tickets after presenting a driver’s license or other identification that shows residency in Southern California ZIP codes 90000 through 93599. Those ZIP codes are in areas that range from San Luis Obispo and Bishop to the north to the Mexican border on the south.

At least one analyst questioned whether the two-tiered pricing structure for locals and tourists might generate some bad feelings among visitors who must pay the higher price.

“It seems to me to create a few issues . . . if the fellow in front of me is paying less than I am,” said Emanuel Gerard, an analyst for Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co., a New York brokerage. “It could create some public relations problems.”

But Gerard said admission price cuts are a reasonable response to a decline in attendance. The costs of operating a theme park generally remain the same whether attendance is heavy or light. The temporary price cut, he said, could help Disney officials determine how sensitive the local tourism market is to changes in admission.

DISNEYLAND’S BID TO LURE LOCALS

For the first time, Disneyland says it is temporarily cutting admission prices for all Southern California residents. The new price of $20 will be in effect from Jan. 12 to March 3.

Children Park (ages 3-11) Adults Disneyland* $20.00 $20.00 Knott’s Berry Farm 9.95 21.95 Magic Mountain** 14.00 23.00 Sea World 15.95 21.95 Universal Studios Hollywood 16.50 22.00

* Ticket prices for patrons from outside of Southern California will remain $22.50 for children, $27.50 for adults.

** The children’s admission price at Magic Mountain is based on height and applies only to youths those under 4 feet tall. The average age of children that height is 7 years.

SOURCE: Amusement parks