Posted on: Tuesday, November 20, 2001

Theme parks lure visitors with unprecedented deals

By Gary Gentile
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — With the post-Sept. 11 decline in air travel keeping out-of-towners away, two of Southern California's largest theme parks are offering unprecedented deals designed to lure local residents.

After resisting price breaks for its Disney's California Adventure theme park, the Disneyland Resort is now offering annual passports that allow visitors to hop between Disneyland and California Adventure for as low as $99.

And Universal Studios Hollywood is allowing people who buy a single-day's admission during the holidays to use the ticket as an annual pass for all of 2002 with the exception of certain blackout periods.

The unprecedented price breaks are part of both parks' efforts to encourage local residents to drive to the attractions.

Area theme parks, hotels and other tourist attractions have been hurt dramatically by a severe drop in air travel after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Walt Disney Co. has said that as much as 60 percent of guests at its Anaheim theme parks drive there. The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., is much more dependent on air travel. That park's attendance is down by 25 percent since Sept. 11, Disney officials have said.

Attendance at the Disneyland Resorts is up because of a comparison with last year, when only Disneyland was operating. Universal Studios declined to provide attendance estimates for its park.

Both the Disneyland Resorts and Universal Studios are also adding new holiday shows to attract visitors.