Universal park ahead of three Disney World parks post-pandemic, report finds
ORLANDO, Fla. (FLV) – According to the TEA/AECOM Theme Index report for 2022, which estimates unofficial park attendance for the world’s many theme parks, Disney remains the industry leader in attendance while Universal continues to compete in some areas.
Magic Kingdom in Central Florida, as has been the case for years, remained the top visited theme park destination in the world.
For North America specifically, the Magic Kingdom took first place, hovering around 17.1 million visitors, and Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California took second at around 16.8 million.
The organization said it has not changed the rankings since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It ranks Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios – all parks at Disney World – as third, fourth and fifth.
Behind those parks for 2019 was Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure – located near Walt Disney World and seen as the direct competitors to Disney.
The report finds attendance for 2022 still remains below pre-pandemic levels for Disney’s parks – but not Universal’s.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure, which is host to multiple new flagship attractions that served as a draw to guests, like Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure, is now third in North America when it comes to attendance, the report found – moving up several places.
For 2022, the Universal park welcomed 11.025 million visitors, ahead of Hollywood Studios’ 10.9 million, Epcot’s 10 million and Animal Kingdom’s 9 million.
A notable difference between the two parks post-pandemic is Disney World’s approach to guest attendance, which since reopening in 2020 has required “park reservations,” where guests must use the Disney website to “reserve” a spot in the park of their choosing.
It was recently announced that Disney is beginning to finally do away with the system beginning early next year for some tickets. It’s unclear what specific magnitude of effect relinquishing that extra step for guests will mean for Disney’s attendance in comparison to Universal’s, which did not have that kind of system.
Read more about the attendance report here.
