It's a tricky trade-off. The last couple of times we visited Disneyland, the crowds were so bad that it didn't feel worth it. However, I'm not sure I'm ready to pay $100+ per person per day for less congestion. I think I topped out at $99.
(by the way, he died in 2015 - I was surprised it was so recent)
"Growing attendance" is not the end goal, for either Disney or park goers. Disney wants to maximize profit, and the article never addresses this; they talk about attendance being down, but what about gate revenue? Since they were raising prices, they could have still made more money on fewer attendees.
For park goers, fewer people going is going to be great. Less crowds to fight, fewer lines, easier parking, etc.
I am not exactly sure why this is supposed to be seen as a negative.
You solve it by setting the price of attendance such that the correct number of people choose to go.
I don't think it's that simple—they're not trying to maximize total returns on a single day, but total returns overall. How many people are in the park determines the kind of experience you have, which then determines if you're likely to come back. Plus all sorts of associated halo effects—if you enjoy your time at the park, then after you leave you're more likely to purchase Disney branded merchandise, watch Disney movies, and subscribe to their upcoming Disney+ streaming service.