Attendance increased last year at Disney’s local parks and at Knott’s Berry Farm, mirroring an international upswing for theme parks, according to a new industry report. (Story updated at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.)
The Themed Entertainment Association recently released its 2010 report, showing traffic at theme parks around the world. While the numbers are unofficial, the report generally is used by the industry to track attendance.
For the Orange County parks, the report concluded:
- Disneyland in Anaheim ranked second in the world for attendance with 15,980,000 visitors in 2010 — a half-percent jump compared to the previous year.
- It’s next-door neighbor, Disney California Adventure, drew 6,278,000 guests in 2010. That’s a 3-percent increase.
- Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park had an 8-percent hike, bringing in 3.6 million visitors. See a story about the 2009 theme-park attendance.
The new report shows theme-park business is going up even during the current soured economy: The top 20 North American parks averaged an increase of 1.8 percent.
“In general, parks are getting back or close to the pre-recession levels. I think where major investments have been made in major attractions, they are above those levels,” said Gene Jeffers, the association’s executive director. “There’s some pretty good evidence to show if you invest, it does pay off.”
See a chart below.
The new “World of Color” show, which opened in June 2010, is credited with helping lure more visitors to California Adventure, Jeffers said. Disney’s own figures showed that California Adventure brought in a 20-percent hike in visits during the quarter when the light-and-water show opened. See a previous story about Disney California Adventure attendance.
Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, declined to comment about the attendance figures.
“World of Color, at Disney California Adventure, helped offset a mostly flat year for Disney parks,” said Brian Sands, a vice president of Economics at AECOM, which conducts the research, in the report. Disney parks worldwide had a 1.3-percent attendance increase, but some Florida venues saw drops in visits.
Knott’s got a boost in attendance, despite no new attractions opening. The previous year, Knott’s visits had dropped by 6.5 percent.
“We’re really happy with our numbers. We do think it’s reflective of the recovering economy,” said Jennifer Blazey, a Knott’s Berry Farm spokeswoman.
UPDATE: Researchers compile the numbers from a variety of sources, including company financial reports, interviews at parks and other tourism information, Jeffers said. If the numbers are off, companies usually contact the association to clarify the numbers.
| Southern California parks | 2010 visits | 2009-10 % change |
|---|---|---|
| Disneyland | 15,980,000 | 0.5% |
| Disney California Adventure | 6,278,000 | 3% |
| Knott’s Berry Farm | 3,600,000 | 8% |
| Universal Studios Hollywood | 5,040,000 | 26% |
| Raging Waters | 466,000 | 0 |
| SeaWorld California | 3,800,000 | -9.5% |
| Southern California attendance | 35,164,000 | 5.6% |
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Disney, Knott’s parks see attendance hike in 2010 is a post from: Around Disney
