Disney had previously suspended the Cultural Representative Program when the parks were going to be closed due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. Then they were reportedly re-launching their search for cultural representatives, usually employed in the World Showcase. Walt Disney World was temporarily replacing these positions with regular cast members until it could resume.

Now it has been announced that the program has been suspended indefinitely and offers of employment to those chosen have now been cancelled as well.

This comes from Expedition Theme Park on Twitter:

Walt Disney World had fully suspended the Cultural Representative Program and withdrawn offers of employment to those already approved for 2020 and 2021. Previously they just had their start date pushed back. #wdw #waltdisneyworld #epcot pic.twitter.com/GN2ZO7tdzW

— Expedition Theme Park (@ExpThemePark) July 14, 2020

Letters were sent out those who were already approved for 2020-2021.

“Dear Participant.

As you may have heard, Walt Disney World resort is in the process of welcoming Guests back to our parks and resorts in the coming weeks as part of a phased and deliberate approach with the well-being and safety of Guests and Cast Members at the forefront of our planning. We continue to act on the guidance of government and health agencies and make decisions based on their input. With that, we wanted to share an update about our Disney Cultural Representative Program. 

We are still in the early phase of the reopening process. Many of the buildings with the Disney housing complex have remained closed and we have not yet determined when we will reopen them. With that in mind, we have made the difficult decision to continue to suspend our Disney Cultural Representative Program until further notice. We regretfully need to advise you that our offer of employment to you is withdrawn. Please be assured that we will refund your program fee. 

We understand this is not the news you were hoping to hear and we want to assure you this decision was not made lightly. We are committed to our Disney Programs and plan to resume in the future, when the time is right. 

If you would be interested in a future program, please let us know by completing the information on the link provided and we will keep you updated on a future opportunity. 

We greatly appreciate your passion for Disney and interest in the Disney Cultural Representative Program and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome back our Program participants in the future. 

We hope you and your family stay safe.

Disney Internships and Programs.”

I’m not sure how this will impact Walt Disney World, specifically EPCOT. There have always been employees from the respective World Showcase countries as a featured part of the area. Hopefully we can get them back soon.

What do you think? Comment and let us know.

Source: Expedition Theme Park on Twitter