Market Assessment
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA, www.iaapa.org), more than 300 million people visit U.S. amusement parks annually. These visits have an economic impact of $57 billion.
According to IBISWorld (www.ibisworld.com), there are 415 amusement parks in the United States; combined revenue was $15 billion in 2015. Average annual growth was 1.8% from 2010 to 2015. Mintel (www.mintel.com) assesses the market similarly, estimating U.S. theme park revenue at $14.4 billion.
“The amusement parks sector has grown over the past five years, driven by a rise in domestic and international visitor numbers and rising consumer spending. In the coming years, growth is expected to continue as a number of drivers continue to have a positive influence on the industry.”
AMUSEMENT PARKS USA Photo Gallery
IBISWorld, 12/15
Twenty-three percent (23%) of adults visit a theme park each year, a figure that has remained relatively unchanged since 2008. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of teens ages 12-to-17 visit a theme park each year, a decrease from 76% of teens who did so in 2008, according to Mintel. This is, in part, due to increasing costs. The typical daily cost of a day at an amusement park has increased to $170 from $150 in 2008.
According to the World Waterpark Association (www.waterparks.org), annual attendance at U.S. water parks is 70 million to 72 million. Most of the attendance is from free-standing water park visits; however, visits to indoor water park resorts are also included in the figure. There are more than 1,000 water parks in North America, including municipal/city-owned pools with water park features, corporate-owned water parks, independently owned water parks, and indoor/resort-style water parks.
22.2 City-by-City Survey
According to International Demographics (www.themediaaudit.com), 21.1% of adults living in metropolitan areas visit an amusement park at least once a year. The following metropolitan areas have the highest percentage of adults who do so:
• Orlando, FL: 49.7%
• Orange County, CA: 39.0%
• Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL: 38.2%
• Los Angeles, CA: 35.6%
• Sarasota, FL: 35.1%
22.3 Most-Visited Amusement Parks
According to a 2015 report by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA, www.teaconnect.org), the top theme parks in the U.S. based on annual attendance are as follows:
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL): 19.3 million
Disneyland (Anaheim, CA): 16.8 million
Epcot at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL): 11.5 million
Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World
(Lake Buena Vista, FL): 10.4 million
Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World
(Lake Buena Vista, FL): 10.3 million
Disney’s California Adventure (Anaheim, CA): 8.8 million
Universal Studios Florida (Orlando, FL): 8.3 million
Islands of Adventure at Universal (Orlando, FL): 8.1 million
Universal Studios Hollywood (Universal City, CA): 6.8 million
SeaWorld Florida (Orlando, FL): 4.7 million
Busch Gardens (Tampa, FL): 4.1 million
SeaWorld California (San Diego, CA): 4.0 million
Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA): 3.7 million
Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH): 3.2 million
Hershey Park (Hershey, PA): 3.2 million
Kings Island (Kings Island, OH): 3.2 million
Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ): 2.8 million
Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA): 2.8 million
Busch Gardens (Williamsburg, VA): 2.7 million
The top water parks in the U.S. based on annual attendance are as follows:
Typhoon Lagoon at Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL): 2.2 million
Blizzard Beach at Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL): 2.0 million
Aquatica (Orlando, FL): 1.6 million
Wet ‘N Wild (Orlando, FL): 1.3 million
Schlitterbahn (New Braunfels, TX): 1.0 million
Water Country USA (Williamsburg, VA;): 726,000
Adventure Island (Tampa, FL): 644,000
Schlitterbahn (Galveston, TX): 551,000
Water World (Denver, CO): 527,000
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Arlington, TX): 523,000
Six Flags White Water (Marietta, GA): 510,000
Wet ‘N Wild (Phoenix, AZ): 467,000
Raging Waters (San Dimas, CA): 429,000
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Jackson, NJ): 423,000
Splish Splash (Riverhead, NY): 421,000
Zoombezi Bay (Powell, OH): 416,000
Dollywood’s Spash Country (Pigeon Forge, TN): 408,000
Wet ‘N Wild Emerald Point (Greensboro, NC): 398,000
Soak City Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH): 371,000
22.4 Market Resources
Amusement Parks in the U.S., IBISWorld, December 2015. (www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1646)
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, 1448 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. (703) 836-4800. (www.iaapa.org)
Theme Parks – U.S., Mintel, May 2015. (http://store.mintel.com/theme-parks-us-may-2015)
Themed Entertainment Association, 150 E. Olive Avenue, Suite 306, Burbank, CA 91502. (818) 843-8497. (www.teaconnect.org)
World Waterpark Association, 8826 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 310, Overland Park, KS 66212. (913) 599-0300. (www.waterparks.org)
Maybe You Like Them Too
- Top 10 Islands You Can Buy
- Top 10 Underrated Asian Cities 2023
- Top 10 Reasons Upsizing Will Be a Huge Travel Trend
- Top 10 Scuba Diving Destinations
- World’s 10 Best Places To Visit
