Shanghai Disney, Palace Museum among top attractions in 2024 TEA Global Experience Index

The global appetite for immersive experiences is surging, with the TEA Global Experience Index revealing stable growth across markets and ranking Shanghai Disney Resort and Beijing's Palace Museum among the globe's top attractions.

A photo shows Shanghai Disneyland. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

The global attractions market returned to stable growth in 2024 as travel and tourism patterns normalized toward pre-pandemic levels. Attendance at the world's top 25 theme parks rose 2.4% reaching nearly 246 million visitors. Internationally branded parks in China led the rebound, delivering record results: Shanghai Disneyland up 5% and Universal Studios Beijing up 8.6%. "China was the primary driver of growth in Asia in 2024, led by Shanghai Disneyland, which set a record of 14.7 million visitors," the index report revealed. "The late 2023 opening of Zootopia land led to a major impact throughout 2024, with the land's headline ride, 'Zootopia: Hot Pursuit,' drawing long queues and receiving high guest satisfaction scores."

The Zootopia-themed land also has gained widespread recognition within the theme park industry for its innovative storytelling and immersive experiences. In November 2024, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) awarded it the 2025 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement - Theme Park Land. 

Shanghai Disneyland maintained its position as China's top theme park and ranked among the global top five, remaining the country's most popular and most visited theme park. It was also recorded among the world's top ten theme parks, with the highest visitor growth rate.

Continuing its expansion momentum, Shanghai Disneyland has begun construction on a new Spider-Man themed land, parallel to the development of the resort's third themed hotel, while also expanding the iconic "Soaring Over the Horizon" attraction. This combined effort will significantly increase daily capacity for one of the park's most popular experiences.

Other notable Chinese parks in the list include Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin, ranked sixth with 12.62 million visits, and Universal Studios Beijing at 12th with 9.77 million visits. Hong Kong Disneyland welcomed nearly 8 million visitors, ranking 17th. Seven Chinese theme parks are among the world's Top 25 amusement and theme parks, attracting a combined 69.7 million visits in 2024.

This photo taken on Oct. 10, 2025 shows the Hall of Supreme Harmony of the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

The museum sector in 2024 highlighted the continued ascent of China's museum industry. Its success rests on structural strengths such as a rich cultural heritage, a large population, high urban density, sustained public funding, and pricing models that offer widespread free or low-cost admission.

In 2024, the three most-visited museums worldwide were all in China. The Palace Museum in Beijing topped the list with over 17 million visitors, commemorating its centennial anniversary this year. Close behind were the Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum in Chengdu, Sichuan province, with nearly 14.6 million visitors, and the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi, with more than 11.6 million visitors. 

The scale of China's museum landscape is striking. By the end of 2024, China registered 7,046 museums nationwide, up 213 from 2023. That's roughly one museum for every 200,000 people. Across the year, Chinese museums attracted nearly 1.5 billion visits, hosted 40,000 exhibitions, and delivered over 500,000 educational activities, providing continual reasons for visitors to return. Moreover, rising social media presence and exclusive merchandise—collectibles, figurines, plush toys, and magnets—further boosted attendance and engagement.

The 2024 TEA Global Experience Index, presented with Storyland Studios, tracks attendance at the world's most-visited theme parks, water parks and museums. Now in its 19th edition, the study is a collaboration between TEA and research partners Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA) and The Park Database (TPDB).

"China, long a dominant force, is now entering a more mature stage in its theme park market even as its museum sector expands at a scale unmatched anywhere else," said Ben Thompson, chief executive officer of Storyland Locations, the development arm of Storyland Studios.