ORLANDO, Fla. — A recent report from infrastructure consulting firm AECOM ranked Orlando's Walt Disney World as the most attended theme park in 2023.
In the report's top 25 list of worldwide amusement parks, Disney World saw a 3.4% increase in attendance when compared to 2022, as 17,120 attendees flocked to the theme park during the 2023 season.
Officials with AECOM said Disney and Six Flags were the only two major operators who posted worldwide attendance gains.
"Orlando remains a heavy hitter in the theme park world, with seven theme parks and three water parks making our list," officials stated in the report.
But, AECOM added that attendance in Orlando was down in 2023 with a cluster of parks underperforming when compared to other regions.
"A large part of that is related to international travel that has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels," officials stated. "While multiple factors affect travel choices, an important one is the relative strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes inbound international travel much less attractive."
Overall, while Orlando remains a primary hub of the theme park industry, AECOM's report says the weight Florida has on the North American market ultimately pulled average numbers down.
In 2023, 68.5 million people visited six parks at two different resorts in the state of Florida, according to the report. Four of them were Disney World attractions.
They were:
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Epcot
- Magic Kingdom
Meanwhile, Universal Studios was ranked 13th in AECOM's report with attendance dropping by 9.3% between 2022 and 2023. Only 9,750 people reportedly attended Universal in 2023 when compared to the previous year's 10,750.
To view the AECOM'S full report, click here.
