News 2023 TEA/AECOM Global Attendance Report, EPCOT Sees Significant Growth

[LSLS]

I have no doubt that’s true. However, my personal anecdotal experience and gut feeling about coaster/thrill ride enthusiasts is that there is a certain badge of honor with visiting many different parks and getting to ride different additional coasters. I think that’s partially why those places are successful with a high cost front if the line pass so people can go and pay a price to reduce waits for the big rides and “check off” a park.

My question though is do they become repeat visitors? Velocicoaster might get people in the door to Uni once. But I think Hagrids and Forbidden Journey and Spider-Man (and Diagon Alley!) are the types of rides that get them into the doors multiple times and creates hype to encourage others to visit via word of mouth.

I suspect the main repeat visitors that thrill rides generate are locals.

But that gets to the bigger question. Is there ANY ride that can generate repeat customers at these price points? Or, is the most important part having the theming/feel throughout the park?

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Horrific numbers for Universal.

Adding a few cheap coasters with a lick of paint was never going to be a game changer.

What are you even referring to?

 

[JKick95]

What are you even referring to?

I imagine they are referring to Minions and Dreamworks Land

 

[doctornick]

But that gets to the bigger question. Is there ANY ride that can generate repeat customers at these price points? Or, is the most important part having the theming/feel throughout the park?

I don't really know but my gut feeling is rides like FJ, Spider-Man, Mummy for Uni and FoP, Rise, etc for WDW tend to generate repeat visits because of how well themed and unique they are. I'd even extend that to well designed lands like Diagon Alley.

There's only so many parks that have the kind of immersive theming that Disney and Uni have whereas higher quality coasters are easier to find.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

But from the numbers, it certainly looks like DAK is the park most frequently skipped. Probably reflects a need to invest there more than anything (would be nice to get the TLK ride and a new nighttime show to go along with Tropical Americas)

It also doesn’t help that it’s the hardest park to get to, with no real resort supported access. Unlike MK, Epcot, or HS, there is not abiliity to walk/monorail/boat over. You lose out on the ease of park hoping over, or a resort day/AK split day

 

[sonoma15]

I imagine they are referring to Minions and Dreamworks Land

Probably referring to Veloci and Hagrid, since both Minions and Dreamworks land did not add any new coasters. It's hard to say that Veloci and Hagrid are the reason for Universal's attendance dropping last year considering Veloci opened 2 years before and Hagrid opened 4 years before 2023. Oh yeah, there is also the fact that they are the two most popular attractions currently in the entire resort.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

But that gets to the bigger question. Is there ANY ride that can generate repeat customers at these price points? Or, is the most important part having the theming/feel throughout the park?

I like universal rides - I think they are better than Disney. But every so many years is fine for me.

Disney - if they deliver the full product I fell in love with - I can’t get enough of.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don't really know but my gut feeling is rides like FJ, Spider-Man, Mummy for Uni and FoP, Rise, etc for WDW tend to generate repeat visits because of how well themed and unique they are. I'd even extend that to well designed lands like Diagon Alley.

There's only so many parks that have the kind of immersive theming that Disney and Uni have whereas higher quality coasters are easier to find.

I'd say Guardians does a good job of drawing people to Epcot. See a lot more chatter about Epcot being the park people hit up more than once each trip since that opened.

 

[co10064]

But that gets to the bigger question. Is there ANY ride that can generate repeat customers at these price points? Or, is the most important part having the theming/feel throughout the park?

I think the mega-E’s… the ones that combine thrill with theming and story very well, are the ones that really bring people back… Tower of Terror, Flight of Passage, Everest, and Guardians come to mind.

Personally, rides that are well themed but lack thrill (Rise) or rides that are thrilling but lack good theming (Velocicoaster) are pull factors, but not the deciding factor for me to book a trip.

 

[ChrisFL]

It also doesn’t help that it’s the hardest park to get to, with no real resort supported access. Unlike MK, Epcot, or HS, there is not abiliity to walk/monorail/boat over. You lose out on the ease of park hoping over, or a resort day/AK split day

...or skyliner over.

That could change but I don't expect it to

 

[co10064]

I’m honestly surprised at how close Disneyland Park has come to Magic Kingdom. IMO Disneyland is the superior offering, but it functions much more as a regional park than a destination resort.

I’m honestly surprised EPCOT is so high on the list. The year over year growth has to be a record for WDW, no? You have to attribute that to Guardians and to a lesser extent, Remy.

DHS probably has the best slate of individual rides, but it needs more attractions, more walking space, and lower wait times.

I doubt Tropical Americas moves the needle for DAK, but it may better distribute crowds in that park and perhaps increase Lightning Lane purchases.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

IMO Disneyland is the superior offering, but it functions much more as a regional park than a destination resort.

That’s changing - I don’t think I’m the only one that has pretty much given up on WDW and moved to DL

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I don't really know but my gut feeling is rides like FJ, Spider-Man, Mummy for Uni and FoP, Rise, etc for WDW tend to generate repeat visits because of how well themed and unique they are. I'd even extend that to well designed lands like Diagon Alley.

There's only so many parks that have the kind of immersive theming that Disney and Uni have whereas higher quality coasters are easier to find.

I suspect @LSLS has a good point in that a big new ride will get people to visit a park, but it's the sum of the park's parts that will get them to come back more than any one attraction being especially great. This seems likely to be especially true of places like WDW and Uni Orlando where you essentially have to plan a whole holiday around visiting the parks.

I suppose you could argue that, once someone had committed to an Orlando theme park vacation, that they may choose X park over Y park because of a specific attraction. I think what gets them to come back at all, though, is the overall experience. Honestly, Epcot's attendance is a bit of a head scratcher when you thing about its attraction line-up. It only makes sense if you consider that, overall, the park still offers an experience (including the festivals) that keeps people coming back. Universal Hollywood's rise and drop around the opening of Nintendo World may show the limits in unusually quick terms of the bump that a new land or attraction provides if the rest of the experience doesn't have the same draw.

 

[Gusey]

It's interesting to see that of all the domestic Disney Parks, only DCA has returned to pre-Covid numbers:

Park	2019	2024
Magic Kingdom	20.96 million	17.72 million
Epcot	12.44 million	11.98 million
Hollywood Studios	11.48 million	10.30 million
Animal Kingdom	13.89 million	8.77 million
Disneyland	18.67 million	17.25 million
Disney California Adventure	9.86 million	10.00 million

 

[GhostHost1000]

It's interesting to see that of all the domestic Disney Parks, only DCA has returned to pre-Covid numbers:

Park	2019	2024
Magic Kingdom	20.96 million	17.72 million
Epcot	12.44 million	11.98 million
Hollywood Studios	11.48 million	10.30 million
Animal Kingdom	13.89 million	8.77 million
Disneyland	18.67 million	17.25 million
Disney California Adventure	9.86 million	10.00 million

You’d think they’d put more emphasis in expanding AK with more (additional) attractions and a night show.

 

[JD80]

I think AK's numbers will go down in the next 2 years until the new area opens up unless they add some entertainment options like a drone show or something. When Indy/Encanto open it'll probably hit 11M-12M range. Won't know until 2028. See you in 4 years.

 

[TalkToEthan]

Have the theme parks already hit their ceiling, are their new customers to be gained in any significant number?

Currently fairly flat

As for macro trends going forward there will be a far smaller pool of potential Universal and Disney park goers due to replacement birth rates and declining population——a population with sufficient disposable income to afford those visits.

 

[TalkToEthan]

(Universal)Adding a few cheap coasters with a lick of paint was never going to be a game changer.

A “few cheap coasters” ???? Are you talking about Hagrid, Velocicoaster and something else?

 

[TalkToEthan]

But no one is going to travel around the world to ride an off the shelf coaster like Veloci with a glossy queue.

What a bizarre comment….

For the most part nobody is going to travel the globe to ride ANYTHING on Earth. You’re putting forth an absurd notion.

 

[TalkingHead]

It's interesting to see that of all the domestic Disney Parks, only DCA has returned to pre-Covid numbers:

Park	2019	2024
Magic Kingdom	20.96 million	17.72 million
Epcot	12.44 million	11.98 million
Hollywood Studios	11.48 million	10.30 million
Animal Kingdom	13.89 million	8.77 million
Disneyland	18.67 million	17.25 million
Disney California Adventure	9.86 million	10.00 million

Somebody needs to tell Iger it’s not too late to sell Animal Kingdom to Margaritaville.