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Opening theme parks in central Florida after months has not been easy. Reducing operations now that the call is below expectations will be even more difficult.
Layoffs, less popular ride closures and schedule reductions have been the usual regime for new claims that have spread in the industry in recent weeks. The most recent hit occurred Friday afternoon when Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCS. A) Universal Orlando informed visitors of their upcoming remains at two of its seven on-site resorts that hotels will temporarily suspend operations starting next week.
Universal Orlando will close the Sapphire Falls and Aventura homes on August 21. Existing bookings at any of the hotels will be transferred to one of the other resorts that will remain open while Comcast will consolidate its activities.
We’re nearing the end of what has been the peak summer travel season, so it’s no wonder that central Florida’s theme parks are retiring. Schools in the domain are resuming the new school year, almost at least, and this has sometimes marked the time for iconic closed attractions to relax ahead of the popular Halloween festivities that may not take place this year for Comcast’s Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Universal Orlando.
However, it is also transparent that theme parks expected greater representation at this stage. Universal Orlando would have booked visitors to the two hotels that would soon close if it thought they would operate at sustainable occupancy levels.
This is not the first sign that Comcast’s once animated theme park has been losing strength since it restarted in early June. A week ago, it temporarily closed six of its less popular attractions and shows. He also brought a competitive promotion in which other people who bought the equivalent of a one-day price ticket can continue to return until December 24.
It’s not just the beach hotel in Comcast that suffers from shrinking at retirement. Disney’s quarterly effects before this month came with the admission that the media giant’s theme parks did not respond to their internal projections.
“While Walt Disney World is operating at a positive net contribution level, the benefits we’re seeing from reopening are less than we originally expected given the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida,” Chief Finance Officer Christine McCarthy said in the call.
The fact here is that Florida experienced a coronavirus resurgence in the weeks leading up to Disney World’s reopening in mid-July, however, the number of cases has tended to decrease every week since it opened its turnstiles. Concerns about COVID-19 are expected to decrease over five weeks after the resumption of Disney World’s business.
The country’s two largest theme park operators are suffering with the new normal. For now, it’s a small step back. Disney has opened its parks in Florida with limited hours and next month they will see even more of their operating contract. Comcast temporarily closes attractions and hotels. Things are not perfect, however, a vital difference is that any of the corporations discussed in their recent effects that parks would lose more cash if they remained closed.
The reopening procedure becomes hiccups. We’re here now. What Disney and Comcast will do next will go a long way to discover how things temporarily get back on track.