British visitors boost Euro Disney

EURO DISNEY said yesterday it had boosted profits by 50 per cent in the year to September as the number of British visitors to the theme park jumped by a fifth. The company said British families were attracted by a successful television advertising campaign and themed events. Visitors from the UK now make up 16 per cent of Euro Disney's customers.

Profits before exceptionals grew from Fr165m to Fr248m (pounds 26.4m) as visitors stepped up their spending and costs were reined in. Revenues jumped by 8 per cent to Fr4.75bn. But the World Cup kept French families away, causing overall attendance to slip from 12.57 million to 12.5 million.