The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) has recognized Disney Experiences as the top theme park operator globally. In its annual report this year, TEA shared information about the most popular theme parks in the world and also the state of the industry as a whole. In a release, TEA stated that “2023 marked the global end of Covid-19 restrictions, as governments ended travel quarantines and restrictive operating guidelines.” Because of this, theme parks worked to bring in new guests with “new attractions or exhibitions, incentives for repeat visitation, and special events.” All of this shows that theme parks are refocusing their efforts from recovery to building toward the future. In short, the Themed Entertainment Association’s 2023 Theme Index Report looks optimistic for the industry in general and notes that it is trending in the right direction.
“2023 was really a major turning point for the industry,” said John Robinett, senior vice president of AECOM’s Economics + Advisory practice. “The pandemic was largely behind us at the start of the year and parks and museums could start focusing on investment plans for the future.”
“Additionally, many operators continued to report higher per capita spending throughout the year,” he continued. “Not only were guests spending more per transaction, but the number of transactions also increased, pointing to a revenue trend that might greatly influence how parks strategize for future growth.”
The Walt Disney Company was highlighted throughout the 2023 Theme Index Report. First off, Disney Experiences was recognized as the top theme park operator. According to the report, Disney Experiences had 17% growth globally with 142,083,000 visiting its theme parks. Cedar Fair and Six Flags, which have now merged, were also recognized in the top ten.
Disney parks also held 12 of the top 25 spots for individual theme parks globally. Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom took the top spot this year with 17,720 visitors the report said. This was a 3.4% growth over last year. Disneyland in California came in second place with 17,250,000 and 2.2% growth. Rounding out the top 11 was Tokyo Disneyland in the 4th spot, Shanghai Disneyland in 5th, Tokyo DisneySea in 7th, EPCOT in 8th, Disneyland Paris’ Disneyland Park in 9th, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 10th and Disney California Adventure tied with Universal’s Islands of Adventure tied for 11th. This was followed by Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the 16th spot, Hong Kong Disneyland in the 17th, and Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris in the 20th spot.
There are a few things that are interesting in these stats. Not only do Disney parks hold 12 of the top 25 spots globally, in the top 10, Disney has 8 of them! Looking even closer, Disney parks are 4 of the top 5 global theme parks and the same goes for North America as well. Magic Kingdom continues to reign as the number one theme park destination globally. This is a distinction it has now held for 18 years. Shanghai Disneyland also moved up in the ranks from #10 to #5 for the most visited theme parks worldwide. This comes as the park has seen a nearly 25% increase in attendance since 2019.
Overall, it has been a good year for theme parks. For the top 25 theme parks globally, there was a collective growth of 23% from 2022 to 2023. The strongest growth came from China. The Americas also saw an increase but not as strong due to soft demand for international travel to the United States. Europe also saw strong results.
The future results and reports will come more in line with traditional models as the impact of the pandemic has departed. This includes the demand that came because of this world event. “The wave of post-pandemic pent-up demand has essentially ended,” stated Francisco Refuerzo, an economist with AECOM. “Parks that quickly returned to the time-tested method of constant reinvestment to continue to attract guests tended to perform better.”
About Themed Entertainment Association’s 2023 Theme Index Report
Since 2006, TEA and AECOM have collaborated to produce and publish the annual TEA/AECOM Theme Index and make the report available free as a resource and reference for business and education. It was expanded to include the Museum Index in 2012. The TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index is a definitive and widely cited global resource benefiting the international attractions industry and many other sectors including financial, real estate, education, hospitality, retail, travel, and tourism. It is a vital reference for the media. It is published in PDF format in English language on the TEA and AECOM websites. A summary version in Chinese language is also available on WeChat.
This year, Storyland Studios joined the report as Presenting Partner. “In no other medium will you find a collection of data that enables you to measure the success, opportunities, and trends of the industry in a single place. This invaluable and free resource continues to be the ultimate source of theme park and museum data available to the public,” said Ben Thompson, Partner & Chief Strategy Officer at Storyland Studios.
What do you think about the results from the Themed Entertainment Association’s 2023 Theme Index Report? Did anything surprise you? Did anything stand out to you? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
