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On hearing the words “theme park,” most Japanese people will think of Tokyo Disney Resort. In global amusement and theme parks attendance rankings for 2017, both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea make the top 10. Universal Studios in Osaka also represents Japan on the list.
| Rank | Theme Park | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Kingdom (Florida, United States) | 20,450,000 |
| 2 | Disneyland (California, United States) | 18,300,000 |
| 3 | Tokyo Disneyland (Tokyo, Japan) | 16,600,000 |
| 4 | Universal Studios Japan (Osaka, Japan) | 14,935,000 |
| 5 | Tokyo DisneySea (Tokyo, Japan) | 13,500,000 |
| 6 | Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Florida, United States) | 12,500,000 |
| 7 | Epcot (Florida, United States) | 12,200,000 |
| 8 | Shanghai Disneyland (Shanghai, China) | 11,000,000 |
| 9 | Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Florida, United States) | 10,722,000 |
| 10 | Universal Studios Florida (Florida, United States) | 10,198,000 |
Compiled by Nippon.com based on material published by the Themed Entertainment Association. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are part of Tokyo Disney Resort. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are all part of Walt Disney World Resort.
Tokyo Disneyland first opened its gates in April of 1983, welcoming more than 10 million visitors the following year. During the 1990s post-bubble economic slump, attendance figures were slow to rise. But after Tokyo DisneySea opened in 2001, they exploded, jumping to over 20 million people annually.
When Tokyo Disneyland celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in fiscal 2013, the number of visitors to Tokyo Disney Resort topped the 30-million mark for the first time. In fiscal 2014, events related to the hugely successful movie Frozen proved to be popular, helping the resort to reach its attendance peak of 31.4 million. From fiscal 2015 onwards, the resort hasn’t quite scaled that peak again, but it has been attracting a healthy 30 million visitors each year.
In the first half of fiscal 2018 (April to September), there were 15.5 million visitors, which is a record high for that period. Events and attractions related to Tokyo Disneyland’s thirty-fifth anniversary have apparently helped to attract more visitors.
Increasing numbers of international tourists have boosted the number of them visiting Tokyo Disney Resort. In fiscal 2010, less than 3% of the visitors to the resort were from overseas, but that proportion had grown to 9.8% by 2017. Aiming to greater satisfy domestic visitors, of which 90% are repeat visitors, and attract more overseas tourists to the resort, Tokyo Disneyland is adding new themed areas and attractions scheduled for completion in fiscal 2020. Meanwhile, Tokyo DisneySea is set to expand by approximately 20% and build a new deluxe hotel, with completion set for fiscal 2022.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Jiji.)
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