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In the ongoing Central Florida theme park “wars” (used very lightly), Walt Disney World has reclaimed some positioning surrendered to Universal Orlando in recent years. Earlier today, the 2023 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index was released. The TEA attendance report is the industry standard in estimating attendance at the top theme parks and museums worldwide. While the theme parks do not release attendance figures publicly, the TEA index is widely accepted within the industry as having accurate estimates. Before we take a look at this year’s numbers, here’s some context on what has been reported in the past few years.
Coming out of the COVID-19 shutdowns, Universal Orlando started to make up some ground on Disney. Of course, nobody is getting close to Magic Kingdom, but there was some serious competition between Universal Orlando’s two theme parks and the remaining three theme parks at Walt Disney World in terms of raw attendance. For a look at Walt Disney World-specific reporting for 2023, check out our earlier article.
2021
In 2021, estimated attendance figures at Universal Studios Florida (8.99 million) and Universal’s Islands of Adventure (9.1 million) outpaced attendance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (7.2 million), EPCOT (7.7 million), and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (8.6 million). This marks a significant shift in Central Florida tourism and perhaps signals that Universal is gaining on Disney World in terms of pure visitation. Only Magic Kingdom (12.7 million) had more visitors than Universal’s theme parks.
Here’s a look at the rankings for Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World for estimated attendance in 2021:
- Magic Kingdom: 12.7 million
- Islands of Adventure: 9.1 million
- Universal Studios Florida: 8.99 million
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.6 million
- EPCOT: 7.7 million
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 7.2 million
2022
We saw this trend of Universal Orlando really competing with non-Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World theme parks continue in 2022, with Disney’s Hollywood Studios moving up in the rankings. Here’s a look at the 2022 estimated attendance figures:
- Magic Kingdom: 17.1 million
- Universal’s Islands of Adventure: 11 million
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10.9 million
- Universal Studios Florida: 10.75 million
- EPCOT: 10 million
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 million
2023
Now, the 2023 figures are out and Universal Orlando saw attendance plummet by roughly 1 million visitors at each of its two theme parks. Both of Universal Orlando’s theme parks saw a decrease in attendance of -9.3% versus 2022. Not good.
That said, the Florida market experienced some rough patches throughout the year, with the year-over-year, statewide figures showing a 0.6% increase at theme parks in the state in 2023. EPCOT’s attendance jump in 2023 put it above both Universal Orlando theme parks, and it represented the largest attendance increase in North America for the year.
Here’s a look at the 2023 estimated attendance for Disney and Universal theme parks in Central Florida:
- Magic Kingdom: 17.7 million
- EPCOT: 12 million
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10.3 million
- Islands of Adventure: 10 million
- Universal Studios Florida: 9.75 million
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8.8 million
Universal and Disney World have reported a downturn in attendance at their theme parks in 2024, and it will likely continue into early 2025. The big question mark in 2025 and beyond is Universal’s Epic Universe. The new theme park is slated to open next summer, and while Walt Disney World has announced its own slate of planned construction projects (and even a Magic Kingdom nighttime parade in summer 2025), many of those projects won’t open for years.
Analysts have predicted a 1 million visitor decline for Walt Disney World when Epic Universe opens, but what will attendance look like at Universal Orlando’s existing theme parks? Will Epic Universe cannibalize attendance, or will it draw in enough of a crowd to act as a rising tide for all boats (Walt Disney World included)?
Either way, Disney has to be happy to claw some of the attendance back from Universal following the COVID-19 impacts on the theme parks in 2020 and into 2021. Of course, the name of the post-COVID game is per capita spending, which Disney has done a lot of work toward optimizing anyway, so maybe these attendance reports don’t matter as much as they used to.
In the coming years, we expect Disney to remain on top, even with Epic Universe debuting next year. The new park will provide some wonderful competition in the Central Florida area, but the Walt Disney World theme parks have some room before they hit their 2019 ceiling again.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!