Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises. It is one of four major business segments of the company, the other three being Consumer Products, Media Networks, and Studio Entertainment. The Parks and Resorts division was founded in 1971 as Walt Disney Attractions when Disney's second theme park, Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, opened, joining the original Disneyland in California. The... chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is Thomas O. Staggs, formerly the senior executive vice president and CFO. Staggs reports to Disney CEO Robert Iger. In 2009, the company's theme parks hosted approximately 119.1 million guests, making Disney Parks the world's most visited theme park company, ahead of the second most visited, British rival Merlin Entertainments. Disneyland was dedicated as a single park by Walt Disney on July 17, 1955. Disneyland Park opened to the public on July 18, 1955, in Anaheim, California. Disneyland Hotel opened to the public on October 5, 1955.
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