Magic Kingdom Is the #1 Visited Park, But #6 May Surprise You

Magic Kingdom was the #1 most-visited theme park in 2023!

Magic Kingdom saw over 17 million visitors in 2023, but the runner up theme parks may surprise you. We are digging into the annual report and giving you the highlights.

Each year, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM Economics & Advisory publish a report about the themed entertainment industry that looks at trends and performance numbers of theme parks around the world.

The report for 2023 was recently published and we are diving in to some of the highlights of the report. The top three theme park operators based on attendance in 2023 were Disney Experiences, Fantawild Group, and Merlin Entertainments Group. Universal Destinations & Experiences landed in the number four spot.

When looking at the attendance numbers at specific theme parks, Magic Kingdom took the number one spot. The top three was rounded out by Disneyland Park and Universal Studios Japan. Disney owns eight of the top ten most visited theme parks in 2023. Universal owns one theme park in the top ten, and the theme park that came in sixth may surprise you.

In sixth place was a theme park called Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China. It is owned by the Chimelong Group and saw 12.52 million visitors last year. The park opened in 2014 and contains the “largest underwater viewing dome, largest aquarium tank, largest aquarium window, and largest acrylic panel,” according to Trip.com. There are eight themed areas with 15 rides.

EPCOT came in at number eight, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at number 10, and Islands of Adventure and Disney California Adventure tied at number 11. Shanghai Disneyland and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom saw some of the biggest growth in attendance, with both seeing over a 150% increase from 2022.

Some great news to see, is that in 2023, attendance at the top ten theme parks operators increased by 30% and 244.6 million people were in attendance at the top 25 theme parks. While that does mean more crowds in the parks, that also means that theme parks will likely invest more back into the parks too.

There is so much coming to the themed entertainment industry in the coming years. From Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort, to a new Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, and an Avatar area at Disney California Adventure, we are so excited for what the upcoming years have in store.

Stay tuned to AllEars for all your theme park news!

Is Disney World or Universal Studios better for adults? Read more about it here!

What is your favorite theme park? Let us know in the comments!