Theme Park Tourism

Theme parks are a part of the greater attractions industry. Theme parks are large, mostly outdoor, entertainment enterprises that trace their origins to 19th-century pleasure gardens that, over time, converted to amusement parks with a mix of entertainment including rides, shows, games, and food and beverage offerings. Beginning in the 1950s with the opening of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, the theme park sector has expanded throughout the global economy. Today, the annual attendance at the world’s 70 largest and most attended theme parks is 334.6 million; it is likely that a comparable level of attendance is achieved by the second tier of theme parks throughout the world.

Global distribution of market share (in terms of attendance) of the industry is 42% North American, 18% European, 36% Asian, ...