The ongoing global recession, challenging weather periods and "modest investment" by operators resulted in mixed results for the international theme park sector in 2010.

The annual TEA/AECOM Theme Index shows that a number of North American parks experienced falls in attendance numbers while Asian parks, which struggled in 2009, saw increases in their visitor numbers.

Compiled in partnership between the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and consultants AECOM, the annual Theme Index records the visit numbers at all major world parks and is used as a benchmark to asses the state of the industry.

The report also lists the world's top 25 most visited theme parks.

As with previous years, Disney parks dominate the top 25 list, occupying the top eight positions and with a further three parks in the table. Admissions to these 11 Disney parks equate to 62 per cent of the total visits to the top 25 parks.

The biggest improvement at a single park was at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, US where admissions grew from 4.6 million in 2009 to 5.9 million in 2010, thanks to the opening of Wizarding World of Harry Potter within the park.

The remarkable 30 per cent rise in attendance is made even more incredible by the fact that the new area only opened in June 2010.

Korea bounced back strongly in 2010 with Everland and Lotte World showing double-digit admissions rises and boosted global rankings. In Hong Kong, Disneyland grew admissions significantly after its fifth year celebrations to reach 5.2 million, while Ocean Park had a record year with 5.1 million visits.

The headline figures show that in total, attendances at the top 25 parks worldwide increased by 1.9 percent from 2009 levels.

This increase was driven mainly by a 7.3 per cent increase in visitor numbers at the top 15 Asian parks.

Europe fared less well, with total attendance for the top 20 European theme parks falling by 1.9 per cent.

For the full report, click here. Image: The opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Island's of Adventure in Orlando, US, helped the park record a 30 per cent increase in visitors