The Experience Economist

The Experience Economist: Americas Edition 2025 is the third regional report from Leisure Development Partners (LDP) on the volume, value and impact of the visitor attractions industry. This addition analyses theme parks, waterparks and the wider experience economy across North, Central and South America.

What the Americas attractions report covers

The edition compares mature and emerging markets. The United States and Canada are focused on enhancing existing assets and adding immersive concepts. Mexico, Central America and parts of South America remain high-opportunity markets for new development, provided capital is matched to local incomes and spend.

We assess ten markets large enough to measure economic impact: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and The Bahamas. Metrics include population, GDP per capita, theme park and waterpark visits per 1,000 residents, spend per visitor, estimated economic impact, jobs and forecast GDP growth.

Key findings from the 2025 Americas edition

• 336 million annual theme park and waterpark visits across the markets assessed.
• 384 visits per 1,000 residents on average for amusement, theme park and waterpark attendance.
• US$53 billion estimated total economic impact from theme parks and waterparks.
• 252,000 estimated total employment impact.
• The United States accounts for an estimated 55 percent of attractions economic impact in the Americas. Orlando and Southern California generate almost 41 percent of US park visits.
• From 2010 to 2023, the top 20 theme parks in the Americas grew by an average of 1.2 percent a year — just below Europe (1.3 percent) and well below Asia (3.3 percent), reflecting US market maturity.
• Mexico is second in the region by economic impact, with a large, young resident market and a split between lower-priced domestic parks and higher-priced tourist destinations in the Yucatán.

Market snapshot: theme parks and waterparks in the Americas

(2024 population; visits, spend and impact. Source: LDP databases and OECD multipliers).

Sources cited in the report include the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, LDP’s parks database and OECD multipliers.

United States: the region’s attractions engine

The United States is the most developed attractions market in the Americas. Demand at the top of the market remains strong: average ticket pricing at Disney and Universal is around US$150, versus about US$58 at regional parks. That gap has not yet suppressed demand at the destination parks.

Universal’s Epic Universe, opened in Orlando in May 2025, is the year’s landmark project and the first major new US theme park in 24 years. It sits in a 750-acre development, with the park itself covering about 110 acres and five themed worlds. LDP cites an estimated cost of US$7 billion. Universal Destinations & Experiences reported theme park segment revenue up 19 percent in Q2 2025. Comcast has projected US$2 billion of first-year economic impact for Florida.

Other US developments include indoor waterpark resort growth (Great Wolf Lodge in Connecticut; Kalahari’s fifth resort in Virginia, due 2026), competitive socialising and immersive venues (Albatross in New Jersey; AREA15 in Las Vegas; Netflix House at King of Prussia, with Dallas and Las Vegas to follow), and Universal Kids Park in Texas in 2026. 2025 also saw operator consolidation, including Six Flags with Cedar Fair and Merlin with LEGOLAND.

Headwinds are also logged: import tariffs, delayed projects, weaker inbound travel and reduced air capacity. Canada-to-US tourism was expected to be down about 21 percent by the end of 2025 (Tourism Economics). LDP still records active developer interest in New York, Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas and Orlando, plus smaller attractions in retail, mixed-use and downtown settings.

Canada: indoor formats and destination storytelling

Canada’s theme and waterpark visits per 1,000 residents are about one-third of the US level. Climate and lower density outside Toronto and Montréal limit large outdoor parks, which is pushing indoor, immersive and year-round product.

The featured Canadian case is Niagara Takes Flight, a CA$25 million flying-theatre attraction that opened in August 2025 at Niagara Parks’ Table Rock Centre. Other projects cited include Therme Canada at Ontario Place and Alpine Fury at Canada’s Wonderland. Short-term travel has shifted toward domestic trips and stronger US inbound to Canada.

Mexico and Central America: scale with income constraints

Mexico is the second-largest market by economic impact. The park mix splits between domestic operators such as Six Flags Mexico and Parque Acuático El Rollo, and tourist-facing Xcaret Group resorts in the Yucatán. Two large resort-plus-park schemes are underway: Vidanta World’s “Bon” in Nuevo Vallarta and Puerto Fantasía Resort in the Cancún market. Mexico City’s former La Feria Chapultepec reopened in 2024 as Aztlán Parque Urbano. Tren Maya is expected to move some visitor flow from the coast toward inland Maya sites.

In Central America, Guatemala’s IRTRA system remains a distinctive high-volume domestic model. El Salvador is flagged as the region’s fastest-growing international tourism market, with around 3.2 million arrivals in 2024, up 28 percent. Costa Rica and Panama continue to lead on eco-adventure; Costa Rica’s domestic travel already accounted for 31 percent of internal tourism spending in 2023. LDP’s brief for the sub-region is dual: serve international visitors and build repeatable resident leisure such as FECs, indoor play and adventure.

Who should read this report

• Theme park, waterpark and destination resort developers assessing new sites in the Americas.
• Operators benchmarking visitation, pricing and product mix.
• Investors and lenders needing market-scale context before feasibility or due diligence.
• City and tourism agencies measuring jobs, tax and overnight impact.
• Retail and mixed-use teams considering FECs, immersive entertainment and competitive socialising.