Disneyland Paris signs deal to boost Gulf visitors

Disneyland Paris, the theme park which is 10 percent-owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, has struck a deal with Qatar’s Regency Travel & Tours in order to increase the number of Gulf visitors to the French attraction, it was reported.

“There is a huge demand for Disneyland Paris from this part of the world,” Regency Travel & Tours CEO Tareq Abdullatif Taha was quoted as saying by Gulf Times.

The agreement was signed during a press conference in Doha between Regency and Disney Destinations International (DDI).

The Paris-based theme park, which is 38.9 percent owned by the Walt Disney Company, was rescued from bankruptcy in 1994 when Prince Alwaleed injected $350m into its parent company Euro Disney.

Figures announced earlier month reported the resort saw revenues decrease by five percent year-on-year to €304.9m in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2014, which ended December 2013.

Theme parks revenues decreased three percent to €172.9m, while there was also a seven percent decrease in attendance, partly offset by a four percent increase in average spending per guest.

The decrease in attendance was mainly due to fewer guests visiting from France, Spain and the Netherlands, the report said.