The State of the Global Attractions Industry in Q3 2025

Mid-2025 Insights
With nine months of 2025 complete, market volatility, the threat of tariffs, reduced spending, geopolitical unrest, and unpredictable weather patterns are disruptions that continue to be top of mind for leaders working in the global attractions industry. The summer months provided less than hoped for results to operators in the northern hemisphere. However, manufacturers and suppliers have enjoyed robust sales in 2025, as orders for new equipment are outpacing earlier years in the decade.

TRENDS
Several trends emerged thus far in 2025:

• Unfavorable weather has defined 2025. Many operators report that the spring months proved wet and unseasonably cool, discouraging guest visitation. By contrast, the early summer months proved exceedingly hot, which also had a negative effect on visitation.
  
   
• Uncertainty in the economy and politics also affected consumer sentiment, as guests adopted a "wait and see" mentality before committing to a visit.
  
   
• While tariffs remain a concern, many manufacturers are optimistic for the years ahead, as orders for new equipment to be delivered in 2027 and beyond are strong.

MEMBER OUTLOOK BY REGION

Asia-Pacific
While professionals in the region kicked off the year feeling encouraged about performance, members in the Asia-Pacific region are now concerned with slowing growth across many economic markets. In China, as the real estate market is flat, so is the consumer price index. Thus, potential guests are content to save their money and are opting for nature walks, city tours, and quiet places to cool down. While the volume of visiting guests is encouraging, the time they are spending inside the gate is lower from previous years. Wet weather has negatively impacted attendance levels, with China seeing more than a dozen typhoons.  Each storm can shutter a park for days to follow as the team's clean-up efforts commence. For island nations in the Pacific, the weather has also proved wet, limiting attendance at outdoor attractions, while indoor facilities have fared better. Guests of island nations have embraced water parks, and thus, operators look to add more in the years ahead. In western Asia, the indoor facility sector is growing faster than traditional outdoor amusement parks, particularly near urban centers in India. With Apple now producing some iPhone models and Mercedes-Benz announcing plans to manufacture in India, employees with greater disposable income are expected to aid in visitation to attractions (last quarter, GDP growth reached 7.8% in India).

Europe, Middle East, Africa
Members in southern European nations report a challenging year to date but share that 2025 has performed better than 2024. Unlike other regions, the weather has cooperated with summer visitation. In Scandinavia, some operators report that while attendance was flat, in-park spending rose above 2024 levels, with cash flow proving strong. Many are hopeful for a strong 2026. In the Middle East, there is a new opportunity for young people to immerse themselves in the attractions landscape for the first time--both as employees and as guests--as new attractions come online. Many guests opt to stay inside during the summer months and look to experience outdoor attractions in the winter, when temperatures are more bearable. The Middle East region is expected to continue as a leading growth market, as more attractions are planned.

Latin America, Caribbean
In the Latin America, Caribbean region, operators in Mexico report a banner year to date for indoor attractions, while outdoor facilities have suffered from great amounts of rain. Some operators caution that their autumn outlook may be tempered by a consumer decrease in disposable income that they enjoyed in previous years. Other Latin American countries report 2025 has produced decent results to date but are still under 2023’s robust performance levels. The threat of recession, inflation pressure, and political uncertainties are all cited as reasons for reduced footfall.

North America
In North America, operators refer to summer of 2025 as “unusual.” From weather patterns to attendance realization, the season differed from other operating periods. In parts of North America, some facilities saw colder temperatures early, while others experienced wet conditions as spring stretched into summer. Once the dry weather arrived, temperatures quickly turned unbearably hot. The extreme swing kept many would-be visitors home and prompted some operators to call the weather patterns the worst in a decade. Guests also showed a resistance to pricing strategies, making mid-season pivoting necessary through discounting.  Once guests were inside attractions, they spent less, limiting incremental revenue. Political headlines and uncertainty over tariffs are also to blame for lackluster attendance. Meanwhile, some operators have kept their eyes on potential minimum wage increases.

Manufacturing and Suppliers
Some manufacturers report that 2024 was their best year ever for new equipment orders, and 2025 is also turning out to be a year for strong sales. Operators in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States are looking to the future by adding new hardware in the years to come in order to lure guests back.

THIRD QUARTER RESEARCH
IAAPA conducts the quarterly outlook survey to monitor sentiment, business performance, along with top opportunities and challenges. Highlights from the Q3 2025 survey include the following:   

• Participating attractions project healthy year-over-year growth across most business metrics in the next six months. More than half expect increased revenue, attendance, and group sales.
• More than half of manufacturers/suppliers forecast increased growth/investment in the Middle East in the coming months.
• Attraction operators expect negative impacts to capital expenditure plans due to new and potentially changing tariffs. Implications include postponing, reducing, or freezing capital investments because of uncertainty, reduced profits, or increased costs.
• Key opportunities among attractions continue to be new offerings and boosting visitation. Operators are also prioritizing revenue management strategies and infrastructure development initiatives. However, facilities report continued challenges due to economic uncertainty and workforce constraints.
• Product innovation, market expansion, and growth remain central focus areas for suppliers. Workforce shortages, evolving trade policy, and economic instability remain primary concerns.

The full Q3 report will soon be available on www.IAAPA.org/research

ABOUT
The insight and analysis provided in the reflections above are provided by the IAAPA Global Board of Directors, a collection of 22 attractions industry professionals representing a dynamic tapestry of owners, operators, suppliers, manufacturers, service providers, and leaders working around the world.