Report: Theme park attendance was a roller coaster in 2021

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Last year was a roller coaster ride for theme parks worldwide, with U.S. water parks approaching pre-pandemic levels and parks in China struggling with lockdowns. That’s according to a new report released last Friday. Last year, U.S. theme parks recaptured only about two-thirds of their attendance from 2019. But the year marked an upward trajectory with attendance increasing by 134% over figures from 2020, when most theme parks were shuttered for several months in an effort to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. U.S. water parks approached their pre-pandemic figures. Attendance at Chinese theme parks in 2021 was about half of what it was pre-pandemic.