Visitors at a theme park. [Reuters]
Visitors at a theme park. [Reuters]

South Korea's theme parks are losing visitors even as the country welcomes a record number of foreign tourists. Average annual attendance at theme parks nationwide fell 32 percent over three years, and the country's two flagship parks — Everland and Lotte World — both ranked near the bottom of the global top 25.

The top complaint from visitors was cost: admission fees and food and beverage prices. A single visit to a large theme park averages 230,000 won ($172) per person, including transportation and accommodation. As overseas parks draw crowds with new rides and popular intellectual property, domestic operators are also moving to strengthen their content offerings.

South Korea's theme park industry is facing a simultaneous drop in attendance and a deterioration in profitability, according to the Korea Tourism Organization's 2025 theme park industry survey and the Themed Entertainment Association's 2025 Global Experience Index, both released Friday.

The Korea Tourism Organization surveyed 813 theme park operators nationwide and found that average annual attendance last year came to 43,403 — down about 32 percent from 63,817 in 2022.

Average operating revenue at those businesses fell about 36 percent over the same period, from 1.69 billion won to 1.08 billion won. The decline is also evident compared with the 2023 average of 1.61 billion won.

Major parks were not spared.

According to a report the TEA released Tuesday, Lotte World Adventure drew 5.055 million visitors last year, a 4.6 percent drop from the previous year, placing it 22nd in the global theme park attendance ranking.

Everland posted a steeper decline. Annual attendance fell 15.6 percent to 4.727 million, placing the park 23rd worldwide — down from 19th in 2023 and a tie for 20th in 2024.

The trend stands in sharp contrast to the broader tourism market.

South Korea received about 18.94 million foreign visitors last year, a record high and a 15.7 percent increase from the previous year, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of about 17.5 million set in 2019.

Yet the surge in foreign tourists has had limited impact on domestic theme parks.

The Korea Tourism Organization found that domestic visitors accounted for 93.4 percent of theme park attendance, with foreign visitors making up just 6.6 percent.

The figures underscore how heavily South Korean theme parks depend on domestic demand — and how vulnerable that makes them to any softening in local consumer spending.

The underperformance of South Korea's major parks stands out even against global benchmarks.

The TEA reported that the top 25 theme parks worldwide drew a combined 245.4 million visitors last year, essentially flat — down just 0.2 percent from the year before.

South Korea's two flagship parks, by contrast, posted declines of 4.6 percent and 15.6 percent respectively, far exceeding the global average drop.

The TEA cited extreme summer heat and other unusual weather conditions as factors behind the attendance declines at South Korea's major parks.

Price was the top concern South Korean consumers said theme parks needed to address.

In a Korea Tourism Organization survey of 1,000 people aged 15 and older, 60.5 percent said reducing expensive admission and food and beverage costs was the most important improvement needed.

Nearly half of respondents — 47.4 percent — called for stronger safety inspections of aging facilities and better accident prevention measures.

Limiting the number of visitors to cut wait times was cited by 43.3 percent, while 42.3 percent wanted more rides and content tailored to different age groups.

Some 39 percent asked for more rest and convenience facilities, and 33.9 percent wanted improvements to transportation and parking. Respondents were allowed to select multiple answers.

The financial burden on visitors is also considerable.

Theme park visitors spent an average of 193,000 won per person on a single trip last year. Those visiting large comprehensive parks spent an average of 234,000 won.

Breaking down spending at large parks, admission tickets accounted for the biggest share at 64,000 won, followed by food and beverages at 54,000 won.

Individual ride passes added another 22,000 won. Admission, rides and food and beverages alone come to about 140,000 won.

Accommodation added 42,000 won, transportation 36,000 won and merchandise 9,000 won.

The 234,000 won per-person figure represents the average of all spending — both inside the park and on transportation and accommodation for the visit.

The total burden grows with the size of the group, making price a significant factor for families and couples deciding whether to visit.

Beyond price, visitors also called for improvements to facilities and content. High response rates for safety measures, shorter wait times and a wider variety of rides pointed to concerns about both how existing facilities are run and whether parks can compete on content.

Overseas parks have been drawing visitors with new attractions and popular intellectual property.

Universal Studios Japan attracted about 16.04 million visitors last year, up 0.2 percent from the previous year, with Donkey Kong Country — part of the Super Nintendo World expansion that opened in late 2024 — establishing itself as a new draw.

Tokyo DisneySea welcomed about 12.6 million visitors, a 1.3 percent increase, reflecting the first full year of operation for its new Fantasy Springs zone.

Shanghai Disneyland also grew, drawing about 14.994 million visitors for a 2.0 percent gain.

In the United States, Universal Orlando benefited from the opening of Epic Universe in May last year. The new park drew about 4 million visitors in roughly seven months after opening.

Attendance at major theme parks in central Florida, including Epic Universe, rose 4.3 percent from the previous year.

South Korean parks are also investing to win back visitors.

Lotte World Adventure unveiled a new attraction, Kong x Godzilla: The Ride, in July, combining large-scale film footage of the monster characters with a motion-based ride system.

Everland marked its 50th anniversary this year with a series of facility upgrades.

Safari World reopened in April with improved exploration vehicles and animal-viewing areas, along with revamped fireworks shows and circus performances. More than 300,000 people visited the renovated Safari World in the roughly 50 days after it reopened.

As overseas parks continue to attract visitors with new zones and popular franchises, South Korean operators are expanding their experiential offerings to stay competitive.

The central challenge for South Korea's theme park industry is to reduce the cost burden while generating new reasons to visit. With consumers pushing back hard against admission and food prices, parks face growing pressure to improve safety and convenience at existing facilities — and to develop content capable of drawing not just domestic visitors but foreign tourists as well.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com