The mouse is still powerful, but a dragon rises in the east.

That’s the key finding from the latest edition of the 2023 TEA/AECOM Theme Index, an authoritative annual survey of theme park industry trends. The index is compiled by the Themed Entertainment Association and infrastructure consulting firm AECOM. It shows that Disney Entertainment is still firmly at the top of the list of theme park visitors per operator in 2023, with a Chinese company jumping to No. 2.

According to the report, business is going well across the board: “The 25 most visited theme parks worldwide saw their total attendance increase by an impressive 23% compared to 2022.” Of course, many parks were closed in 2022, so success is relative. Compared to 2019, “the industry has essentially returned to its pre-pandemic position,” notes Francisco Refuerzo, senior analyst at AECOM.

This return to pre-pandemic levels of visitor numbers worldwide was largely due to Chinese parks, which were hardest hit by Covid-related closures.

“The largest year-over-year increases in attendance (78%) came from parks in China, which have had the most restrictive operating conditions for most of 2022. The Americas saw a small increase of 3%, with some major parks in the Orlando area seeing slight declines – the result of weak demand for international travel to the United States. Europe remained relatively strong, with a 5% increase, driven primarily by parks that have invested in more extensive resort offerings.”

The largest Chinese operator is the up-and-coming Fantawild Group, which, despite the pandemic, opened an incredible 10 new venues between 2020 and 2023. Fantawild did get some help, however.

Its asset-light model “relies on government agencies to fund new parks while Fantawild operates them,” according to this year’s index, which indicates that further growth is expected for Fantawild in the coming years.

So here is the breakdown of the world’s top operators in 2023 according to TEA/AECOM analysis.

2023 Top Amusement Park Operators Worldwide