Top theme parks worldwide

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida London - Arab Today Global theme park attendance rose five percent last year, with exceptionally strong performance across Asia, poised to overtake North American attendance in the not-so-distant future, predicts an industry-wide report. According to the 2012 Theme Index, produced by the Themed Entertainment Association in California, Asia is on track to becoming the theme park center of the world, with unabated growth and the expected opening of the largest theme park development in China to date. Shanghai Disney is slated to open in 2015 and is expected to receive a whopping 10 million visitors in its first year. Analysts credit growth in Asia to the fact that theme parks are built to appeal to a broad spectrum of visitors by rolling casinos, retail, cultural facilities and attractions into a single “integrated resort." Here are the top 25 theme parks worldwide by attendance in 2012: 1. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida,  17,536,000 2. Disneyland, Anaheim, California, 15,963,000 3. Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo, 14,847,000 4. Tokyo Disney Sea, Tokyo, 12,656,000 5. Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France, 11,200,000 6. Epcot, Walt Disney World, Florida, 11,063,000 7. Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida, 9,998,000 8. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, Florida, 9,912,000 9. Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan, 9,700,000 10. Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando, Florida, 7,981,000 11. Disney’s California Adventure, Anaheim, California, 7,775,000 12. Ocean Park, Hong Kong SAR, 7,436,000 13. Everland, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea, 6,853,000 14. Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong, SAR, 6,700,000 15. Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea, 6,383,000 16. Universal Studios, Universal Orlando, Florida, 6,195,000 17. Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, California, 5,912,000 18. Nagashima Spa Land, Kuwana, Japan, 5,850,000 19. Seaworld Florida, Orlando, Florida, 5,358,000 20. Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris,  Marne-La-Vallee, France, 4,800,000 21. Europa Park, Rust, Germany, 4,600,000 22. Seaworld, California, San Diego, California, 4,444,000 23. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida, 4,348,000 24. De Efteling, Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands, 4,200,000 25. Oct East, Shenzhen, China, 4,196,000