Economic Impact of Disney World on Florida

Disneyworld, near Orlando, Florida is to be a unique and ambitious new type of development. It will consist not only of an imaginative theme park built with the experience and knowledge gained in developing Disneyland, but will also contain a model community representing the optimum living patterns of the future. This model community, called EPCOT -- Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow -- will feature a town center with a full complement of commercial facilities, office space, and a cultural-recreation complex. The town center will be surrounded by residential areas and necessary community services, as well as an industrial park designed to be a showplace and showcase for American industry. It is evident that a development of the size and scope planned will have an important economic impact on the economy of the area in which it is built. Economics Research Associates (ERA) was retained to measure and analyze the probable economic effect of Disneyworld on the economy of Florida as a whole and on the immediately surrounding area. Considerable economic data and information regarding all aspects of Disneyworld, the economy of Florida, and Florida tourism in particular, have been developed by Economics Research Associates during numerous preliminary planning studies for Disneyworld. This knowledge and information have been used extensively in this report. This report has the following sections: 1) introduction, 2) economic impact of Disneyworld on the State of Florida, construction expenditures at Disneyworld, net increase in tourism, new employment generated at Disneyworld, state tax revenue, 3) economic impact of Disneyworld on Central Florida, tourism and visitor expenditures, tourism and visitor expenditures, employee expenditures, construction materials and equipment, local tax revenues, effect of Disneyworld on basic economic activities, effect on other visitor oriented facilities. This report has 7 tables