Euro Disney: The First 100 Days

Disney products, including films and television shows, had been sold in Western Europe for over 50 years. In 1988 European sales accounted for 25% of all Disney product licensing sales. This is one of the main points that need to be considered while evaluating the opportunity. Europeans were already familiar with Disney products and they appeared to be very receptive to it. Another major point that needs to be considered to evaluate the project is the population and how easily they can access Disney Park. European population exceeded that of the United States by 150 million in roughly one-half of the land mass. This meant that Disney would be accessible to more number of people who lived closer to it than in the United States. Also, Europe had a lot of holiday destinations such as Paris, Madrid and London. This means that a large number of people from outside Europe would be visiting these places and they could also be added to the number of potential people who would visit the park. European vacation practices also would play a major role in setting up a park there as they took upwards of five weeks of vacation a year, whereas most Americans took only two or three. The choosing of location in Paris, France was a wise decision as it was almost at the center of Europe. Seventeen million people lived within two hours; of the site by car, 109 million people lived within six hours of the site by car, and 310 million people could reach the complex by plane in less than two hours. The planned opening of the Euro Tunnel in 1994 would make Euro Disney accessible from England in four hours by car.
Also, a survey conducted showed that about 85% of France’s population welcomed Euro Disney. Finally, contractual concessions made by the French government made the project attractive. The only concerns were about the weather in central France,