In 2023, the attendance at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California was approximately 9.66 million. This represented an increase of 15 percent over the previous year, when the park welcomed 8.4 million guests in total.

In 2023, Universal Studios Japan welcomed around 16 million visitors, the largest number across all theme and amusement parks in the Asia-Pacific region that year. It also ranked within the top five leading amusement parks worldwide. As of 2022, theme park attendance seems to be similar to pre-pandemic levels. With Japan leading the Asia-Pacific region with Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and Universal Studios Japan by number of visitors. Huge attendance drops across the region All theme parks in APAC reported significant visitor decreases in 2020 due to partial or complete closings amid the coronavirus pandemic. While 2021 visitor numbers marked a recovery, they still stayed below 2019 attendance for all parks across the region. In 2023, the top 20 theme parks recorded a positive growth in attendance compared to 2022. Parks located in China showed the biggest changes in attendance at amusement parks.The most-visited water parks in Asia have similarly recovered their attendance numbers, as three parks recorded visitor increases of over 100 percent. The biggest operator in Asia With seven of its amusement parks being among the most visited in Asia, Chinese company Fantawild Holdings is becoming Asia's leading theme park operator. Fantawild established a chain of amusement parks, operating 35 theme parks in China. Compared to 2022, Fantawild Group had the most significant growth in visitors in 2023. Especially Zhengzhou Fantawild Adventure recorded a Year-over-Year attendance growth of almost 179 percent.

In 2023, the United States’ Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) was visited by over 17.7 million people, making it the most visited amusement park worldwide. Meanwhile, the second most visited park was Disneyland in Anaheim California.

The attendance of world-famous theme park Universal Studios Orlando fell to 9.75 million in 2023. This showed a decrease of 9.3 percent compared to the previous year, when over ten million guests were welcomed to the theme park.

The attendance at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka, Japan, amounted to approximately 16 million in 2023. This was a significant increase compared to the previous year, marking a record. Universal Studios Japan is one of the most popular theme parks in Japan.

In 2023, the number of visitors at amusement parks and theme parks in Japan amounted to roughly 72.38 million. Japan has several nationally and internationally renowned theme parks. These parks attract the lion’s share of amusement park goers in Japan. The decline in the number of park visitors starting from 2020 reflects the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the amusement park industry. In 2023, the industry mostly recovered.

Which are the most famous parks? Among the many amusement and theme parks in Japan, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are the most popular in terms of attendance numbers. Universal Studios Japan, located in Osaka, is another world-famous park that is visited by millions of people every year. Entry passes for these facilities range between approximately seven thousand Japanese yen and can surpass ten thousand yen, depending on the age of the person and the time and date of the visit.

Where does the revenue of amusement parks and theme parks come from?

Amusement parks and theme parks typically have three segments that generate revenue, namely through entrance and event fees, merchandise sales, and restaurant sales. In Japan, admission and utilization fees at theme parks and amusement parks comprise the largest share of revenues. Merchandise purchases and sales from restaurants on or around the premises are also an important source of income for facilities.

With over 17.7 million visitors in 2023, the most visited amusement park in the United States was Magic Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Meanwhile, Epcot recorded the country's the third highest attendance that year, with nearly 12 million visitors.

The Shanghai Disneyland park is a feature of the Shanghai Disney Resort set up in Pudong, China, in 2011. Much like its other counterparts within the Disneyland global franchise, the Shanghai Disneyland park is a major attraction in China, having hosted about 14 million visitors in 2023. China's best-known theme parksAmusement in China comes in big sizes. One of the largest amusement parks in China since 2015 is the OCT East park in Shenzhen, spread over 13.5 thousand mu (over two thousand acres) of land. The Shanghai Disneyland park is a joint venture between the Shanghai Shendi Group and The Walt Disney Company, while smaller in scale, the park had the most expensive entry ticket among China's prominent theme parks as of 2015, charging 370 yuan per head. Amusement and recreation around the worldIn terms of attendance the Shanghai Disneyland park ranked third in the Asia Pacific region after Japan's Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios parks. As of 2023, the most visited theme park in the world was the Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) in the United States with a footfall of nearly 17 million.