Thursday, May 29, 2008

Gas Prices, Dubai, and the Demise of Walt Disney World?


I took this picture 3 years ago. Check out the price! I bet people would be lining up for blocks to get gas at this price. This may shock you, but I am not one of those really concerned about gas prices. Its a simple supply-demand scenario. We have a high demand, there is a low supply, prices go up. You learn these things in high school economics class. There is no global conspiracy and George Bush is not to blame. We live in a capitalistic society, and this is the way things roll. In fact, I wish they would go higher, as this would only spur the momentum to move away from fossil fuel and move to alternative, clean, cheap, renewable energy sources. Solar, ethanol, wind, hydrogen fuel cells, I have been hoping for these types of energy sources ever since I first visited Epcot at age 5.

Which brings us to the topic at hand. I read this fascinating article about the development of Dubailand out in the middle-east which will be twice the size of Walt Disney World and more densely developed. The scale of this project is unprecedented. Major names will be here (Lego, Dreamworks, Barney, Six Flags, MGM, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Warner Brothers, etc), and major design firms and former Imagineers are working on it. The oil out there is drying up and the middle-east is starting to switch gears from oil-exporter to tourist destination. The speculation is that if gas prices go up, international tourists will vacation there instead of Walt Disney World, resulting in the decline of Disney and turning Walt Disney World into a local destination area like Disneyland. Scary thoughts.

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