Jun 28 (Nikkei) - The operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) will continue to restrict entry to its parks, even though COVID numbers have come under control in Japan, to reduce wait times and improve customer experience.
Oriental Land said it will aim to add value to its services, in hopes for an increase in average spending per visitor. The company needs to boost revenue that has plunged with the drop in visitors to its theme parks in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, over the last two years.
In its medium-term management plan announced in April, Oriental Land set a target of 26 million visitors for the year ending March 2025, a decrease of 20% from the year ended in March 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. But revenue per visitor is projected at 14,500 yen ($106.54) and operating profit at more than 100 billion yen, just short of the pre-pandemic level.
Oriental Land closed TDR for about four months in the spring and early summer of 2020 amid the deepening COVID crisis, reopening only in July with a daily visitor limit of 5,000. It has since eased restrictions in stages in line with requests from the central and prefectural governments.
The company, whose key theme parks are Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, says it is welcoming under 50% of the number of visitors pre-COVID, and it hopes to lift the limit to around 80%.
