2023 marked the global end of COVID-19 restrictions, as governments ended travel quarantines and restrictive operating guidelines. Many facilities around the world, eager to return to a sense of normalcy, lured guests in with new attractions or exhibitions, incentives for repeat visitation, and special events. Many were successful, and the top 25 attended theme parks around the world collectively increased attendance by an impressive 23% over 2022’s figures. Museums, having been more negatively impacted throughout the pandemic, increased 95%.
The largest jumps in year-over-year figures (78%) came out of parks in China, which saw the most restrictive operating environment throughout nearly all of 2022. The Americas saw a small 3% increase, with some major parks in the Orlando area slightly down – the result of soft demand for international travel to the United States. Europe remained relatively strong, with a 5% increase driven largely by parks that have invested in more expansive resort offerings.
Details of these dynamics and more can be found in the 2023 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index, presented by Storyland Studios, the definitive resource of attendance information on the world’s most-visited theme parks, waterparks, and museums, now in its 18th annual edition. This annual, calendar-year study is produced in collaboration with the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and the Economics practice at AECOM. The new, 2023 edition was officially released on August 8, 2024. This report and all prior editions back to 2006 are available to download in full, free of charge from the TEA website and AECOM website.
“The industry depends on the information and data from the TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index,” said TEA International Board President Melissa Oviedo of B Morrow Productions. “The trends identified within this study are vital for planning for the future in the cultural attractions and theme park markets. TEA is honored to work with AECOM on this valuable resource.”
The 2023 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index studies the sector by region – The Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), in addition to the global market as a whole. This year marks the return to attendance rankings for all parks and museums. During the pandemic years (2020-2022) the set of lists in 2019’s edition were held in place without re-evaluation by attendance. With a return to even and consistent operating conditions, the traditional annual ranking resumes, resulting in the addition of several new facilities to the lists.
“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 Americas
In the Americas, many of the parks that did relatively poorly in 2022 outperformed this year and others that did exceedingly well last year had more tepid results in 2023. A large part of this correlation can be tied to when facilities unveiled new capital projects.
“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.”
Asia-Pacific
China’s parks saw massive gains over 2022 and ultimately rebounded to their pre-pandemic numbers, helped in large part by expanded properties from multiple major operators, and in some cases free or reduced-price tickets. Outside of China, parks continued to fare well and are expected to continue to grow as travel in the region starts to regain momentum.
“Arguably, the Asia-Pacific market saw the biggest and longest impacts from the pandemic,” said Beth Chang, the executive director of AECOM’s Economics practice for its Asia-Pacific region. “And while the numbers have returned to pre-COVID levels, it remains to be seen whether or not the region will return to the exponential growth observed previously.”
Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)
With a steady stream of investment during the pandemic, European parks shone in 2023, with gains nearly entirely across the board. Notably, the region also welcomed its first park from the Middle East onto the list with the addition of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. The May 2023 opening and subsequent strong showing of SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi indicated both parks may join the list next year, potentially making 10% of the list from the Middle East.
“The success of the Middle East region provides a welcomed addition to our list,” said Jodie Lock, AECOM’s associate director of economic development. “The relative strength of the EMEA region as a whole, across both theme parks and waterparks, is a model for success in both mature and emerging markets.”
Museums
Museums remain only 6% below 2019 levels, but activities in different regions of the world vary greatly and point to market share shifts occurring in cultural attractions. Asia – and in particular China – has emphasized and incentivized museum development and visitation, resulting in a larger share of the Top 20 Museums Worldwide list being held by Chinese institutions. European museums, especially those in the U.K., have seen more modest growth, while facilities in North America are starting to benefit from rounds of long-overdue investment and expansion.
“Museums have really started embracing more interactive and dynamic exhibits as a means to attract audiences and retain interest in their institutional mission,” said Linda Cheu, vice president with AECOM’s Economics + Advisory practice. “While the digital or virtual footprint of museums dramatically expanded during the peak of the pandemic, we are now seeing the physical spaces being revitalized through reinvestment. The resulting experiences are indicative of a bright future for cultural institutions around the world.”
TEA/AECOM collaboration
“The TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index provides essential benchmarking information that the industry has come to rely on,” said TEA’s Oviedo. “TEA is proud to help provide this through its longstanding partnership with AECOM, with special thanks to Storyland Studios for their support.”
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.
