Canadians are cancelling journeys to Walt Disney World. This isn’t speculative, it’s one thing we’ve heard from many Canada-based readers within the feedback to a number of unrelated posts. This addresses that, discussing the potential impacts on attendance and reductions if ongoing tensions proceed to boil over and lead to additional boycotts of the US.
Canada is the highest supply of worldwide guests to the US, with 20.4 million visits in 2024, producing $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. In response to the U.S. Journey Affiliation, only a 10% discount in Canadian journey may imply 2.0 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in misplaced spending, and 14,000 job losses.
Not coincidentally, the highest 5 most visited states by Canadians are Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas. These states may see disproportionate declines in retail and hospitality income because of this. Though it’s troublesome to discern what proportion of Walt Disney World company are Canadian, it’s our sturdy suspicion that quantity can also be disproportionate. Much more importantly, worldwide guests as a complete have the best per-guest spending metrics of all company.
Sadly, Walt Disney World doesn’t launch attendance numbers, not to mention demographic breakdowns. We do know that worldwide numbers rose 7% a few decade in the past as a result of Disney itself reported that. Estimates at the moment pegged worldwide vacationers as accounting for 18-22% of all company to Walt Disney World.
Go to Orlando, Florida’s official tourism arm, does launch visitation numbers. It’s in all probability secure to imagine that town’s numbers roughly mirror Walt Disney World’s numbers. Per these numbers, the Metropolis Lovely welcomed 6.13 million worldwide guests in 2023, a rise of 25% over 2022 numbers. Canada is Orlando’s prime worldwide market, with greater than 1.2 million guests touring to Orlando in 2023, the best quantity from this market in Orlando’s historical past.
The 2023 worldwide visitation numbers characterize 94% of pre-pandemic (2019) ranges, with Canada, U.Ok. and Brazil remaining the highest three worldwide origin markets to Orlando. For many who are curious, right here’s the country-by-country breakdown:
- Canada: 1,256,000 (↑ 46%) – All-time record-breaking visitation quantity
- United Kingdom: 877,000 (↑ 8%)
- Brazil: 696,000 (↑ 21%)
- Mexico: 432,000 (↑ 10%)
- Colombia: 302,000 (↑ 5%)
Whereas Go to Orlando hasn’t but launched 2024 information (2023’s numbers have been launched final Could, so we now have a number of months), they predicted an ongoing improve thanks partly to–I child you not–Nation Bear Musical Jamboree. (It’s only one level on a really lengthy listing, however I’ll take it. The Canadians have spoken, they usually love singing bears! My folks.)
We are able to infer that projections of one other record-setting 2024 for journey to Orlando from Canada are in all probability correct because of month-to-month information from the Better Orlando Aviation Authority.
The GOAA studies that worldwide site visitors at Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) was up 11.7% year-over-year in 2024, whereas home journey was down 2.6%. That is in line with expectations about lagged pent-up demand for worldwide journey coinciding with an exhaustion of the identical for home journey. (It’s the identical purpose Disney Cruise Line continues to outperform–or at the very least, one of many causes.)
With out doing a deep dive, information on the proportion of passengers by means of MCO from Canada shouldn’t be available, however there’s no purpose to imagine it materially deviates from the above. You possibly can in all probability take that 1.25 million quantity, improve it by 10%, and have a fairly good back-of-napkin estimate of Canadian vacationers to Orlando in 2024.
Making a bunch of assumptions given the entire above, we will in all probability take {that a} step additional and conclude that roughly 3% to six% of Walt Disney World company come from Canada. This may increasingly not look like a lot, however once more, needless to say their length of go to is sort of assuredly properly above-average (that means they account for greater than 3-6% of park attendance and lodge occupancy) as are Canadian per visitor spending metrics.
It’s inconceivable to attract credible conclusions, however I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocked if Canadians accounted for ~7% of attendance and ~10% of visitor spending at Walt Disney World final 12 months. That’s a not-insignificant quantity!
It’s pretty secure to say that the variety of Canadians visiting the US, Orlando, or Walt Disney World goes to lower in 2025.
It’s not a lot a matter of if, however by how a lot. The U.S. Journey Affiliation numbers above have been predicated on a ten% drop–however that wasn’t a prediction of solely a ten% lower. Extra an illustration of what every 10% would imply in actual phrases.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged residents to spend domestically as a substitute, stating: “Now could be the time to decide on Canada…It’d imply altering your summer season trip plans to remain right here in Canada and discover the various nationwide and provincial parks, historic websites and vacationer locations our nice nation has to supply.”
A refrain of different Canadian leaders have echoed this sentiment, and it’s not simply them. There seems to be an internet grassroots motion to shift spending from the US to Canada.
Polling exhibits souring sentiment amongst Canadians in the direction of the US, shopper backlash in opposition to American merchandise, and widespread anecdotal studies of cancelled summer season holidays to the U.S. by Canadians.
For its half, Calgary-based WestJet says demand for journey to the US has been “delicate” over the previous couple of weeks. “What we now have seen although, for the reason that tariff bulletins, is that our gross sales from Canada into the U.S. have truly dropped very considerably,” mentioned Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet’s chief government officer.
The lower in curiosity to fly south has dropped by about 25%, WestJet reported, including the alternate fee probably has one thing do with the falling demand as properly. Different Canadian carriers have indicated that they’re monitoring the scenario and will scale back or reallocate capability away from key U.S. markets (together with Florida).
Flight Centre, Canada’s largest journey company, informed Forbes it has seen “a surge of shoppers” already canceling U.S. holidays and rebooking elsewhere, “together with bucket-list and milestone experiences valued at over $10,000 CAD.”
Along with politics, the U.S. greenback (USD) is strengthening because the Canadian greenback (CAD) is weakening.
Because the starting of final October, the CAD has already weakened about 5%, damage by commerce uncertainty in addition to a rising hole between U.S. and Canadian rates of interest. The Financial institution of Canada slicing charges quicker than the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Canadian 2-year notice yield has fallen about 160 foundation factors beneath its U.S. counterpart, the biggest hole since September 1997.
On prime of that, there’s the chance–if not likelihood–that pent-up demand amongst worldwide vacationers will begin operating its course in 2025 even within the absence of the above. This has been the trajectory in all different instances, and it’s exhausting to think about sustained development fueled by overseas revenge journey would proceed into 2025.
A technique or one other, it’s in all probability honest to foretell that worldwide visitation to Walt Disney World will, at minimal, decelerate. The bottom case is that it’ll drop barely.
The worst case is {that a} plunge amongst Canadians will exacerbate a extra important general drop in attendance that’s in any other case pushed by a mix of worldwide pent-up demand exhausting itself, Common’s Epic Universe opening, and extra cost-conscious shoppers trading-down for cheaper holidays. All of those different elements are largely past the scope of this put up, however we do anticipate them to happen to various levels.
Assuming all of this–and even a few of it–unfolds as anticipated, Walt Disney World must pull a few of its many “levers” to entice company to return. This might are available a number of kinds.
Considered one of these we already find out about, which is extra new leisure–the stage exhibits in DHS and Disney Starlight Evening Parade in Magic Kingdom. However our hope and expectation is that Walt Disney World has one thing extra up its sleeve for Animal Kingdom and EPCOT that’ll inspire attendance.
One other shall be attempting to draw extra of the so-called “unfavorable” company–Florida residents, Disney Trip Membership members, and Annual Passholders. The sensible actuality is that’s so much easier than attempting to lure again Canadians. This might embrace reductions and different incentives–a extra aggressive type of the playbook we’ve seen over the past couple of summers.
Talking of reductions, that’s an apparent reply and there are a few approaches right here that Walt Disney World may take. The primary is to supply aggressive focused particular provides to Canadians. Try to beat their anxieties about touring to the US, present that Disney cares and values them, and assist bridge the hole on the alternate fee. Mainly, make them a suggestion they will’t refuse and show that they’re welcome at Walt Disney World. An excellent transfer not only for the short-term acquire, however as a longer-term goodwill gesture.
The opposite method is changing the misplaced Canadians with a comparable higher-spending demographic that’ll be simpler to seize. On this case, Walt Disney World may chase a distinct worldwide market. The issue right here is that summer season is only some months away, and most households don’t make worldwide journey plans on this in need of discover. As such, a extra sensible various could be releasing reductions to home company that take pricier journeys and have to be enticed with particular provides.
The demographic to focus on right here could be younger households with youngsters. Walt Disney World needing to do extra to keep away from pricing out households is one thing we mentioned at size in Disney Responds to Rising Prices Criticism. Rising prices for center class households has grow to be a sizzling subject, and I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocked to see Walt Disney World deal with that by rolling out new particular provides with discounted trip packages aimed toward this demo.
Reductions like this have been supplied up to now: “Disney’s Child-Sized Deal” and “Play, Keep & Dine” and “Youngsters Play & Dine for 50% Off.” One thing like that, however extra aggressive. This might kill two birds with one stone–addressing criticism and changing misplaced worldwide vacationers with households that may spend extra on packages, even discounted ones, than different home demographics.
Relating to crowds, we might not anticipate a lot of a noticeable affect solely as a consequence of Canadians.
As famous above, roughly 3% to six% of Walt Disney World company come from Canada. If half of these company cancel journeys (which is a considerably increased estimate than any out there information exhibits), that’s solely a small blip. Unseasonable climate or atypical journey breakdowns could be extra noticeable to company in relation to wait instances or the notion of crowds.
This isn’t to say crowds at Walt Disney World will solely be down ~1.5% or by low single-digits this summer season. Our present expectation is extra of a drop, save for at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ‘downside’ is that there shall be a number of contributing elements for any lower in crowds, and it’s inconceivable to isolate every trigger. Folks will make no matter assumptions affirm their very own biases. Common followers will attribute it solely to Epic Universe, Canadians will level to their boycott, and many others.
A few concluding notes. First, we’ve acquired a number of questions from Canadians who’ve considerations about touring to the US on the idea of how People may deal with them. Nicely for starters, People in all probability gained’t know you’re Canadian. As somebody who grew up in a border state, I’ve by no means been in a position to inform the distinction between a Canadian and a Yooper (ditto Minnesotans).
For the sake of debate, let’s say that you just’re going to decorate like a Mountie, put on a moose hat, and drape your self within the Canadian flag. Nobody will care. You may get feedback in assist or little jabs with the identical played-out dad jokes you’ve in all probability heard, however the identical would’ve been true a 12 months in the past. Most People love our neighbors to the north, and think about feedback like that as a lighthearted sibling-type rivalry.
Nevertheless, it’s apparent that it is a far more heated subject for Canadians and considered very otherwise. That a lot grew to become abundantly clear from watching the 4 Nations Face-Off. In truth, that’s what impressed this put up, as these hockey video games have made apparent this isn’t the traditional sort of dynamic we’ve seen with home journey to California or Florida changing into extra politically-tinged in recent times. That is private, and loads of Canadians will cancel journeys due to that.
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