The latest theme park attendance figures reveal that while
Disney still dominates, its main U.S. competitor, Universal Parks and Resorts,
is also on a healthy growth path fueled by the popularity of Harry Potter and
efforts to transform Universal Orlando into a comprehensive, multiday
experience.
In all, Disney parks welcomed more than 150 million guests
globally in 2017, some three times more than Universal's 50 million, according
to the 2017 Theme Index, an annual compilation of theme park attendance figures
from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, released in May.
Disney saw 6.8% attendance growth over 2016, which the Theme
Index attributed to opening Pandora-The World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom at
Walt Disney World and to the first full year of operations at Shanghai
Disneyland.
In the Hot Seat
Frank Belzer, senior vice president of sales at Universal Orlando
Resort, talked about what is driving gains at Universal's largest
park. Read More
Universal also fared well. The third-largest theme park
group worldwide, behind Disney and the Merlin Entertainments Group -- which
includes eight Legoland properties and a large collection of small and midsize
parks -- Universal's parks experienced 4.4% visitor growth. That growth was "primarily
driven by the Harry Potter-themed lands and attractions, the most recent of
which completed its first full year at Universal Studios Hollywood, sparking an
attendance increase of nearly 1 million," according to the report.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal
Orlando in 2010 and at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016.
"It's true we've had Potter for a while, but it
continues to rank very highly," said Frank Belzer, Universal Orlando's
senior vice president of sales. "Our guests will tell us it's the thing
they loved most. Even repeaters will come back and see it again. And we've
added elements to the experience that have really made it a little newer."
Even so, Universal must compete this year with the buzz Disney
generates with the opening of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida
and, next year, with Star Wars lands.
Another boost for Universal was last year's opening of the
Volcano Bay waterpark, which had 1.5 million visitors in its first year and was
one of the only 2017 domestic water park success stories, with most seeing
declines. While the report applauded innovations at Volcano Bay, including
unique combinations of wet and dry rides and advances in virtual queuing,
Belzer said its success is about more than creating a waterpark that resonates
with guests.
Focus on the budget-conscious
When Universal Orlando's Endless Summer property opens in
2020, 62% of the resort's hotel inventory will fall into its two budget tiers,
offering what one Universal executive called "unprecedented value" in
the competitive Florida theme park sector. Read More
"Research tells us that ... it's as much about us now
having three parks. In the mind of a consumer, that has made us more of a
destination," as has the addition of hotel inventory, Belzer said. "It's
more about hitting a tipping point where this idea of going to Universal
Orlando Resort, staying there for three, four, five days, makes a lot more
sense."
As for the rest of the North America-based theme parks, the
Six Flags parks saw a modest gain of 2.3%; Cedar Fair, a collection of regional
theme and water parks, reported a 2.4% increase; and SeaWorld Parks and
Entertainment had another challenging year, with attendance down 5.5%.
The other big factor leading theme park growth globally is
China, where three companies (OCT Parks China, Fantawild and ChimelongGroup)
made the top 10 list, all with double-digit growth. While attendance at North
American theme parks inched up 2.3% in 2017, attendance in China ballooned by
nearly 20%.
Not surprisingly, China has also become the next frontier
for Disney and Universal.
"We have forecasted for several years that China would
become the largest theme park market in the world by 2020," the report
stated. That forecast is still on track, especially with Universal Studios
Beijing due to open around that time and other projects still in the pipeline.