Worldwide theme park attendance grew 2.2 per cent in 2006, with the top 20 US theme parks attracting 120 million visitors.

According to the Theme Park Attendance Report, published by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and Economics Research Associates (ERA), the global theme park industry as a whole experienced moderate growth throughout 2006.

Disney’s parks remain the most visited in the world, with eight of the top 10 most visited parks being owned by the US-based entertainment giant.

Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida, attracted 16.6 million people during 2006, followed by Disneyland in California (14.7 million visitors), Tokyo Disneyland in Japan (12.9m), Tokyo Disney Sea (12.1 million) and Disneyland Paris in France (10.6 million).

Overall, Disney attracted 112.5 million people to its sites, with its closest rival, US-based Six Flags, pulled in 28.5 million.

However, Merlin Entertainments’ (16 million visits) recent takeover of The Tussauds Group (14.3 million visitors) currently makes it the world’s second largest theme park operator.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach remains the UK’s most visited theme park with 6 million visitors, while Hong Kong Disneyland attracted 5.2 million during its first year of operation.

North America remains the region with most theme park visits (119.8 million) with nearly twice as many visits as Europe (59.2 million). Parks in Asia Pacific recorded 68.3 million visits while Latin American parks attracted 11 million people through their gates.

Christian Aaen, senior associate of ERA, said that the growth strengthens the view that theme park operators still play a big part in entertaining families in their leisure time.

“The basic purposes of a theme park visit – a family outing and interaction as a group – haven’t changed,” he said.

The simplicity of a family coming together in a safe, secure, attractive themed setting remains the fundamental magnet, whether it be to enjoy a thrill ride, see a show or simply amble among landscaped paths and eat ice cream.”