DisneyDisneyland Paris is set to double in size by 2030, because there’s no such thing as too much Disney.
The theme park is already Europe’s most popular tourist attraction with 15 million visitors annually, but it seems the corporate bosses aren’t satisfied just yet, as they hope to double the park’s visitor capacity over the next decade.
To achieve their goal, Disney plans to add 14,700 hotel rooms to the existing 5,800 and build new attractions in the two parks already situated on site, as well as possibly even adding a third theme park in the $1.8 billion investment, The Telegraph report.
One of the three new areas in the park will be based on the much-loved animation Frozen, while the other two will be inspired by the company’s popular, though less fairytale-themed franchises, Marvel and Star Wars.
There will be brand new live entertainment experiences, as well as a lake to connect each of the three new areas. Of course, it might turn into a frozen lake if it’s situated too near to ice-queen Elsa’s section of the park.
The attraction currently spans 77-acres and contains Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Paris itself, but as Disney owns a plot of land in France which is a fifth of the size of the capital, Paris, it’s safe to say there’s room for some new additions.
Speaking of the upcoming developments, Robert Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, said:
We’re very excited about the future of Disneyland Paris and continue to invest in its long-term success.
The resort is already the leading tourist destination in Europe, and the transformative expansion we announced today will add even more of our beloved characters and unparalleled storytelling to create new lands, attractions and entertainment that further elevate the guest experience and drive new opportunities for tourism in this dynamic region.
While the huge expansion has an end goal of 2030, Disney will start rolling out phases in the next couple of years, with the first new attraction set to open in the Walt Disney Studios park in 2021.
The developments are one of the biggest at Disneyland Paris since it opened in 1992.
According to the BBC, Disney explained the huge investment ‘underscores the company’s commitment to the long-term success of the resort as Disney’s brand beacon in Europe’.
As well as making the theme park even more attractive for tourists, Disney have said the expansion is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs.
With Marvel-land coming soon, wannabe-employees could probably put themselves forward to be one of the fully costumed characters who wander the park and finally feel what it’s like to be a superhero!
Of course, to really get the full experience of all the new additions, you’ll have to wait for just over 11 years, but at least that should give you some time to save up.
By 2030 you should just about be able to afford a couple of days in the park, right?
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.