The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) has released their 2019 theme park attendance figures. It should be noted that the numbers represented below are not actual numbers reported by Disney, but the TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index is recognized in the industry as the most precise metric to judge attendance and growth in the theme park industry.
Disney’s domestic park attendance numbers were relatively flat overall for 2019 compared to the previous year which TEA says could be attributed to Disney continuing a strategy that emphasizes guest experience over raw attendance numbers. Another way of saying that might be that Disney is pricing a Disney World vacation in a way that would exclude some guests, while those who are able to visit would have a better experience due to lower crowds.
That said, Magic Kingdom retains the top spot as the most visited theme park in the world, boasting attendance figures north of 20 million in 2019, but only a 0.5% increase year-over-year.
As expected, the theme park with the biggest attendance bump in 2019 was Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with an increase of 2%, largely attributed to the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in August 2019.
Even with the largest bump out of the four theme parks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios still remains the least visited theme park at Walt Disney World, according to the report. Here is the attendance breakdown, by park:
- Magic Kingdom up 0.5% to 20,963,000
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom up 1% to 13,888,000
- EPCOT flat at 0%, stays at 12,444,000
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios up 2% to 11,483,000
Compared to 2018, here are the change percentages for year-over-year growth (2019 is compared to 2018, 2018 is compared to 2017):
| Theme Park | 2019 Change % | 2018 Change % |
| Magic Kingdom | 0.5% | 2% |
| Disney’s Animal Kingdom | 1% | 10% |
| EPCOT | 0% | 2% |
| Disney’s Hollywood Studios | 2% | 5% |
Here’s a full list of the top 25 theme parks, worldwide.
On the water park front, Typhoon Lagoon edges out Blizzard Beach for the second and third spots respectively on the worldwide chart. Both water parks saw a 1% drop in attendance in 2019 when compared to 2018.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news from around the Disney Parks.
Great to see Universal growing.
Competition creates better products
I think the fact that Rise of the Resistance only opened in December was a significant factor for DHS only +2%. Our family moved our trip to December and I know a few others who moved into 2020 so Galaxy’s Edge would be fully complete.