In each of us, there is always this child in our hearts who, regardless of age, still wants to go to amusement parks to relieve the stress of hectic everyday life. There are 20 most visited theme parks in the world, but among all these theme parks, there are really some that surpass the rest.
Maybe these parks offer more rides and other attractions. Or maybe they are just fun and unparalleled when it comes to adventures and memories. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: these parks are among the most visited and famous.
If you want to visit an amusement park, but don’t know where to go, we recommend that you visit these places, as they are the 20 most visited theme parks in the world. There is a reason why they are well visited, isn’t there?
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Most Visited Theme Parks in the World
1. Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) – United States of America
Among the theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Magic Kingdom was the first to be built and it opened in 1971. Magic Kingdom is primarily dedicated to Disney characters and fairy tales. In 2014, it became the most visited theme park in the world for the sixth consecutive year with 19.33 million visitors. Magic Kingdom is famously represented by its Cinderella Castle.
2. Tokyo Disneyland – Japan
Another Disneyland that is well attended is in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Tokyo Disneyland had 17.2 million visitors in 2013. Opened in 1983, this theme park was the first Disneyland outside the United States to be built, to the delight of the Japanese and other Asian peoples.
However, Tokyo Disneyland and its partner, Tokyo Disney Sea, are not owned by the Walt Disney Company. Rather, it is owned by the Oriental Land Company, which has licensed it from Walt Disney. The park has a total of seven themed areas that everyone can enjoy and enjoy.
3. Disneyland Anaheim – United States of America
Opened in 1955, Disneyland Park in Anaheim is the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Originally it was supposed to be the only attraction on the site, but as many extensions were made, it was renamed Disneyland Park to distinguish it from the others.
The concept of Disneyland came up when Walt Disney visited Griffiths Park in Los Angeles with his daughters Diane and Sharon. As he watched his children go on the merry-go-round, he thought about creating a park where adults and children alike could enjoy themselves – and so the Disneyland concept was born.
4. Tokyo Disney Sea – Japan
The Tokyo Disney Sea, the partner of Tokyo Disneyland, is also located in Urasayu, Chiba, Japan, and is not owned by the Walt Disney Company, but by the Oriental Land Company. It was opened in 2001 at a cost of 335 billion yen. In 2013, an estimated 14 million visitors were counted, and the number is rising.
It was also the fastest theme park to reach 10 million visitors, thus hitting a milestone. Tokyo’s Disney Sea was able to reach this huge number of guests only 307 days after its opening.
5. Universal Studios – Japan
Universal Studios in Japan, based in Osaka, is one of the studios that are owned and managed by USJ Co, Ltd. after having been licensed by NBC Universal. It is in some ways comparable to the Universal Orlando Resort, as it has attractions that can be found in the latter as well as in Universal Studios Hollywood.
In less than a year after its opening, 11 million people visited the amusement park.
6. Epcot (Walt Disney World) – United States of America
Epcot was the second of the four theme parks in Bay Lake, Florida, to open in 1982. It extends over 120 hectares, which is obviously twice as large as the original Magic Kingdom Park. In 2014, it welcomed 11.45 million guests, making Epcot one of our top 6. Epcot, which means Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, was built to celebrate technological innovation and international culture, which is considered a human achievement. It comprises two thematic areas: Future World and World Showcase.
7. Disney’s Animal Kingdom – United States of America
If you want to spend a day with the animals, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the place to go. It is the fourth of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort. The park opened on April 22, 1998, the same day Earth Day was celebrated that year. With its 200 hectares in space, it is considered the largest Disney theme park and is the second-largest theme park in the world after Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
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8. Disney’s Hollywood Studios – United States of America
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios, is the third of the four parks at the Walt Disney World Resort and covers an area of 55 hectares. The theme of this park is the show business that Hollywood created in the 1930s and 1940s. The Hollywood studios are further divided into six areas, but without a fixed floor plan.
9. Disneyland Park – France
Formerly known as Euro Disneyland, this is the first of two parks at Disneyland Paris. The theme park was first opened to the public in 1992 through the efforts of Walt Disney Imagineering. It extends over 140 hectares and pays homage to Disney characters and fairy tales.
The park is symbolized by Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, the castle of sleeping beauty from the 1959 Disney cartoon of the same name.
10. Disney California Adventure – United States of America
This theme park, usually called California Adventure, is also located in Anaheim, California. It is the second theme park built at the Disneyland Resort after Disneyland Park. The theme for this park was derived after a meeting of Disney executives in 1995 after the WestCOT project was canceled.
Disney expected a large number of guests to visit the park, but the preview openings in January 2001 brought negative reviews.
When it officially opened in February of the same year, the company never reached the desired number of visitors. Therefore, further years were spent improving the park and adding more attractions. By 2014, however, it had already reached 8.7 million visitors, securing it a place in the top 10 of the world’s most popular theme parks.
11. Universal Studios Orlando – United States of America
The park was opened in 1990 under the theme of the entertainment industry. In particular, the park is more oriented towards television and film entertainment, as its attractions prove. It presents several attractions and live shows to its guests. The park has a total of 11 rides and four roller coasters.
The park also includes: Islands of Adventure, Wet ‘n Wild Orlando, Volcano Bay and City Walk.
12. Islands of Adventure – United States of America
It was opened in 1999 together with the CityWalk, which transformed Universal Studios Florida into an entire Universal Orlando Resort. They used the slogan “Vacation as you mean it”. Overall, the theme of the park is exploration and traveling on a journey.
Visitors leave the main harbor and travel to themed islands, where each individual island promises adventure. In 2010, they opened their 7th island, the Magical World of Harry Potter.
This particular island is the most expensive and biggest investment Universal Studios has made since the park opened. It has 16 rides and 5 roller coasters – with the Dragon Challenge consisting of 2 roller coasters. There are also 3 water rides.
13. Ocean Park – Hong Kong S.A.R.
If you love water more than the chic and majestic Disney theme parks and Universal Studios, then Ocean Park in Hong Kong is the best place for you. It offers a marine mammal park, an animal theme park, an oceanarium and an amusement park all in one place.
It is one of the most popular sites in Hong Kong, but many people expected a loss when Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005. However, Ocean Park’s management proved them wrong, as they had a $5.5 billion development plan that allowed them to develop more rides and attractions.
The park has a total of 44 rides with 4 roller coasters and 2 water rides. Most visitors come from mainland China.
14. Lotte World – Seoul, South Korea
Lotte World made it into the Guinness Book of Records for hosting the largest indoor theme parks in the world. It also has its Magic Island, an outdoor amusement park, and an artificial island in the middle of a lake.
It was opened in 1989 and receives an average of 7.6 million visitors each year. If you would like to enter the park at a cheaper price, you can do so, as they also offer late admission tickets at a 75% discount on the regular ticket price. However, you can only get them if you buy them after 4 pm.
15. Hong Kong Disneyland – Hong Kong S.A.R.
It is one of the two major theme parks in Hong Kong, the other is the Hong Kong Ocean Park. It opened its doors to visitors in 2005 and to make the project possible, Disney incorporated Chinese customs, traditions, and culture, including following Feng Shui tips.
The park has a total of seven theme areas, including Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Grizzly Gulch, Tomorrowland, Toy Story Land, and Mystic Point. Performers in the park can also speak three major Hong Kong languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
16. Everland – South Korea
Everland, which is also known as Lotte World in South Korea, is considered South Korea’s largest theme park with an average of 7.3 million visitors per year. It has a water park and a zoo where guests can enjoy themselves.
It is operated by the Samsung C&T Corporation, a subsidiary of the Samsung Group. Everland used to be known as Jayeon Nongwon or Natural Farm – with the former English name Farmland.
17. Universal Studios Hollywood – United States of America
Perhaps one of the best theme parks in the world is Universal Studios Hollywood, as it houses both a film studio and a theme park. It is also one of the oldest and certainly most famous film studios in all of Hollywood and it is still in use today.
It offers privileged guided tours to real film sets from Universal Studios. It has a total of nine rides, two roller coasters, and a water ride.
18. Songcheng Park – China
Songcheng Park is a cultural theme park developed by the Hangzhou Songcheng Tourism Development Company. The park provides its guests with a time travel experience when they enjoy the Qingming Festival in the river landscape.
There are also living fossils from the trade and seventy-two crafts from ancient workshops.
19. Nagashima Spa Land – Japan
It is considered an important amusement park in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture in Japan. One of its main features is the Aurora Wheel, a huge Ferris wheel that many people enjoy. It is 295 feet high and has a diameter of 272 meters.
In addition to the famous Ferris wheel, there are several roller coasters, children’s rides, thrill rides and even a water park for the whole family to enjoy. Nagashima Spa Land offers a total of 45 rides with 10 roller coasters and 2 water rides.
20. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom – China
The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom boasts one of the largest aquariums in the world, where you can see rare whale sharks, polar bears, and beluga whales. There are also themed areas full of fun and exotic animals for you and your whole family to participate in. Theatre performances and exciting rides are also possible.
