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Universal has just announced it is changing its name as part of a company-wide rebranding effort.
Universal Studios in Orlando is the biggest and most powerful competitor for the Walt Disney World Resort, located just 13 miles southwest of the downtown Orlando area. In 2021, Walt Disney World welcomed just over 36 million Guests at the gates of Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That same year, Universal Studios Orlando Resort saw more than 18 million visitors at its two theme parks: Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure.
In 2021, both theme park resorts saw dips in attendance when compared to pre-pandemic crowd numbers. In 2019, nearly 59 million Guests visited the theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, and Universal Studios Orlando Resort saw 21.3 million visitors at its two parks. It’s safe to say that the two biggest Orlando-area entertainment giants see similar trends and experience similar occurrences.
It has us wondering if the latest news from Universal will lend itself to a similar decision being made by Disney.
On Wednesday, Universal Parks & Resorts made a huge announcement, saying that as part of a company rebranding, its name is changing to “Universal Destinations & Experiences.”
Ashley Carter with Spectrum News shared Universal’s announcement with a tweet that reads, “JUST IN: Universal Parks & Resorts has announced that it will be rebranded as Universal Destinations & Experiences. Universal says the new name ‘better reflects the full breadth of offerings Universal brings to fans around the globe.'”
JUST IN: Universal Parks & Resorts has announced that it will be rebranded as Universal Destinations & Experiences. Universal says the new name "better reflects the full breadth of offerings Universal brings to fans around the globe." pic.twitter.com/v5pjF0uw0G
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) March 8, 2023
Like Disney, Universal owns theme park resorts in the United States and abroad, including:
- Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida
- Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California
- Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan
- Universal Studios Singapore in Sentosa, Singapore
- Universal Beijing Resort in Beijing, China
Over the past few months, there has been talk of Disney moving to change the name of the Walt Disney World Resort–though the proposed reasoning behind such a change is not clear. News of Universal’s name change may give Disney more of a reason to follow through with a similar decision. Only time will tell.
