Disney eliminates about 1,900 jobs at its domestic theme parks

Orlando, home to Disney's sprawling 25,000-acre Walt Disney World resort, has been particularly hard-hit. The number of passengers traveling to Orlando International Airport declined 14% in February compared with a year earlier, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority said. Hotel bookings are off by double digits, according to Smith Travel Research, which tracks the lodging industry but does not have access to bookings in Disney hotels.

Hotel occupancy rates in Orlando fell more than 10% in January and February compared with the same time a year earlier. Last month, bookings through March 28 plummeted 20% from a year earlier, Smith Travel said.

Disneyland's home base of Anaheim experienced a similar drop in hotel occupancy rates.

Bookings fell nearly 12% for January and February compared with a year ago, and dropped in March by nearly 15%, according to Smith Travel. The number of passengers flying into Los Angeles International Airport is off by 4.6 million in January, a decrease of 11.2% from 2008, according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Orange County's John Wayne Airport experienced an even more dramatic 17% drop in the number of passengers in February.

These grim economic indicators don't bode well for Disney's parks and resort business, which accounts for more than a quarter of its operating income and revenue. The company declined to provide information about park attendance before its second-quarter results are released May 5.

Attendance at Disney's domestic parks fell 5% in the three-month period that ended Dec. 27. Disney started this year with promotions aimed at increasing attendance, such as free admission for people on their birthdays and a deal that offered a week's stay at a Disney hotel for the price of four nights.

--

dawn.chmielewski@latimes.com

Times staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this report.