Entertainment Parks Industry Trends and Opportunities for Saudi Arabia (Boston Consulting Group)

Summary

• The global entertainment parks industry has over 140 years of history and draws more than 500 million visits annually.§1
• Attendance dropped 67% during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the industry has swiftly recovered on surging demand.§1
• Around 27 VR-enabled attractions existed in water parks globally in 2022, nearly tripling from 2019.§2
• Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030 in 2016, and on average 50% of the Saudi population is under the age of 29.§3
• Cost is the main driver for 43% of visitors when deciding to visit theme or water parks, ahead of variety of offerings and park theme at 20%.§4
• More than 10 parks are set to launch in Qiddiya, highlighting the market potential in Saudi Arabia.§7

Key insights

1. Major theme parks in China saw international and domestic tourist trips rise by 11.5% year-on-year from 2020 to 2021.§1
2. Parks are increasingly themed around movie, TV show and video game intellectual properties, boosting visitor interest and attendance.§2
3. Sixty percent of interested respondents want to spend between 4 and 8 hours at the park, and 78% are interested in at least one meal during their visit.§4
4. On average, 40% of respondents are interested in staying overnight at adjacent hotels after a full day at the park.§4
5. Roller coasters were the most popular single attraction, chosen by 21% of responses.§5
6. 43% of visitors show stronger interest in parks featuring tech-enabled attractions such as virtual reality rides.§5
7. Entertainment parks are classified into amusement parks, regional theme parks and global theme parks along the dimensions of scale and theming.§6