Theme parks around the world are getting ready for the throngs of visitors expected this summer. The summer season is typically one of the most crowded times of the year for theme and amusement parks everywhere, but which ones are the busiest?
Theme parks are some of the most visited travel destinations, attracting millions of visitors every year. Don’t be surprised to run into big crowds and long lines at these popular tourist spots.
Based on annual attendance figures from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM, here’s the list of the top ten busiest theme parks in the world.
10. Everland
Yongin, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea – 6,884,000 visitors
Everland is the largest theme park in South Korea. Along with its main attractions, the park also includes a zoo and a water park known as Caribbean Bay. Everland is operated by Samsung Everland, which is a subsidiary of the Samsung Group.
9. Universal Studios Japan
Osaka, Japan – 8,160,000 visitors
Similar to the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, Universal Studios Japan attracts millions of Japanese tourists, as well as visitors from other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. When the park opened in 2001, 11 million guests entered its gates in just its first year of operation.
8. Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World Resort)
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA – 9,603,000 visitors
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is themed around show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s.
7. Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Walt Disney World Resort)
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA – 9,686,000 visitors
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is more than just a zoo. Located at the Walt Disney World Resort, it’s the largest single Disney theme park in the world. The park is entirely themed around animal conservation.
6. Disneyland Park (Disneyland Paris)
Marne-la-Vallée, France – 10,500,000 visitors
Disneyland Park is located at the Disneyland Paris resort complex just outside of the City of Light. The theme park’s layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. It’s the largest Disney park based on the original.
5. Epcot (Walt Disney World Resort)
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA – 10,825,000 visitors
Epcot is a theme park dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. If you’re wondering where they got the name from, EPCOT is an acronym of Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
4. Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo, Japan – 12,663,000 visitors
Part of the Tokyo Disney Resort, DisneySea is based on nautical exploration and adventure. At an estimated cost of $4 billion, it’s the most expensive theme park ever built. The park attracted a record of 10 million guests in only 307 days after its grand opening.
3. Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo, Japan – 14,452,000 visitors
Ranked as the third most visited theme park in the world, Tokyo Disneyland is located at the Tokyo Disney Resort. It was built in the same style as Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom in the United States and features extensive open spaces to accommodate the large crowds.
2. Disneyland (Disneyland Resort)
Anaheim, California, USA – 15,980,000 visitors
The original Disneyland holds the distinction of having the largest cumulative theme park attendance in the world, with almost 600 million guests since it opened. More people have walked through Disneyland’s turnstiles then any other park on the planet.
Be sure to check out the Disneyland Crowd Calendar before visiting.
1. Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World Resort)
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA – 16,972,000 visitors
The theme parks at Walt Disney World are undoubtedly busy places. All four of the resort’s parks do in fact make the cut of the top 10 busiest worldwide. Magic Kingdom easily takes the crown as the most visited theme park in the world, with almost 17 million guests each year.
Did your favorite theme park make the list? Which ones do you think are busiest? Let us know in the comments below.
Data: Themed Entertainment Association
Image: Mastery of Maps, Beaster725, SteFou!, Ricky Romero
I will be there next year
I still think Tokyo Disney Land and Sea are the busiest. I went to Disneyland Resort before, but it wasn’t that crowded as I had expected. In fact, Tokyo Disney Sea’s Toy Story Mania! is much more busy than the U.S.
Can’t dispute the facts. You might have visited the Tokyo Disney parks at a busier time. Anyway it sucks that all the Disney parks are always packed, no matter what country you’re in.
I hate the crowds so I always plan my visits for the least busiest times. Or I just go to parks that are less crowded, like Six Flags parks, which usually have better rides anyway.