Theme park attendance in China continues upward climb

The visitor attractions sector in China delivered a strong performance last year, according to a global attraction attendance report jointly produced by Los Angeles-based Themed Entertainment Association and Economics Practice at AECOM, a Fortune 500 infrastructure firm. 

"The most dramatic increases in Asia's theme park markets in 2019 were in China," said Chris Yoshii, vice president of Economics Asia-Pacific at AECOM. 

Theme parks, water parks and park operators in China showed strong attendance growth across the board.

In Guangdong province's Zhuhai, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom was ranked the top-attended theme park in China. Its 11.7 million visits in 2019 reflect an 8.4 percent increase from the prior year.  

With 9.4 percent attendance growth, OCT, already the largest theme park operator in China, rose above Universal Parks and Resorts to be the third-largest in the world, Yoshii added.

Fanta wild Group also grew significantly in 2019. It opened four new parks in 2019 and achieved an attendance increase of nearly 20 percent, representing about 8 million additional visits.

China's growth in the leisure sector is a story of supply and demand: a large population with increasing income and desire for travel and leisure across a large land mass with ever-better transportation infrastructure, the report said. 

"These are ideal conditions for regional parks and attractions to develop and for regional chains to expand," it explained.