Disney Offers Vision on Technology´s Impact on Travel, Tourism

Throughout his career, Walt Disney established himself as a recognized visionary in using prototype and state-of-the-art technologies to expand the boundaries of visual

storytelling, culminating 50 years ago in the debut of his revolutionary, three-dimensional, immersive experience of Disneyland.

On April 11, 2006, at the 6th Annual Global Travel and Tourism Summit´s gala dinner in Washington, D.C., that tradition continued when Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) laid out a vision to further implement cutting-edge technology to entertain and connect with its guests and consumers.

Disney is already extending new media efforts past solely

entertaining guests at the parks to reaching them at home through the media channels they use daily. These channels include popular services such as video-on-demand, podcasting, video games, the Internet and mobile phone functions.

WDP&R recently launched its own dedicated video-on-demand channel on Comcast aimed at raising awareness for new products, such as Walt Disney World´s latest attraction Expedition Everest, and meeting consumer interest in a deeper, more immersive look behind the magic of Disney´s parks.

In 2005, Disney launched Virtual Magic Kingdom, a free online web site that recreates the Disney theme park experience for online “guests” all over the world. Kids can log on from home and visit the site and interact with other kids from around the world.