is also the global leader of indoor waterpark hotels and resorts; Great Wolf Lodge recently opened its 23rd location in Connecticut, with another 10 resorts planned or under consideration. Kalahari Resorts is currently constructing it’s fifth resort in Virginia, with a planned 2026 opening of the 175,000 square foot indoor waterpark and 900 guest rooms. The U.S. continues to make strides in the competitive socializing and immersive experiences sector, quickly catching up to the U.K. and rest of Europe, who established the trend. Albatross recently opened in New Jersey – a 50,000 square foot luxury bowling attraction, and AREA15 in Las Vegas is currently underway with a second expansion project, adding 20 acres of additional entertainment. Netflix House is opening inside the mega King of Prussia Mall (Philadelphia market) before the end of the year, a first of its kind for the entertainment giant to be closely followed by with locations in Dallas and Las Vegas. We continue to see significant opportunities and interest for smaller scale attractions in retail settings, mixed use projects and downtowns. The largest challenge for the industry in this market continues to be political and economic uncertainty. In the U.S., tariffs imposed on imports from international suppliers are creating financial difficulties for attractions owners and developers, who are delaying or cancelling projects. International visitors are choosing to staycate or venture to non-
U.S. destinations for leisure trips, due to political sentiment, higher visa fees and the pullback of direct seat capacity on flights. Canada tourism to the U.S. is expected to be down by 21 percent by the end of 2025 (Tourism Economics). Cultural institutions in the U.S., many having just reached pre-pandemic attendance levels in 2024 and armed with plans for renovations and expansions, are now facing a new set of challenges due to federal funding cuts and the current government shutdown. Despite these challenges, we continue to see developer and operator interest along cultural and commercial veins, with new attraction concepts across the country and recent LDP projects in New York, Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas, and Orlando. The U.S. continues to make strides in the competitive socializing and immersive experiences sector, quickly catching up to the U.K. and rest of Europe, who established the trend.
The fundamentals
International arrivals to U.S., monthly Y-o-Y change, 2025
Canada Total All Countries
5%
AREA15, Las Vegas
1%
-2%
this momentum, they will open Universal Kids Park in Texas in 2026, focused on families with young children. The new, family-focused destination will extend the brand’s reach to younger audiences, with a more intimate, family-first model of play. In California, Disneyland celebrated its 70th anniversary in July, offering enhanced experiences at both Disneyland Park and California Adventure. Universal and Disney have very high average ticket pricing, around $150, compared to the regional parks throughout the rest of the country where this average ticket price is $58, though this doesn’t seem to be affecting demand, at least not yet. 2025 marked a year of mergers and consolidation, starting with Six Flags and Cedar Fair, followed by Merlin and LEGOLAND (see Expert Insights). The U.S.
United States The United States is the attractions industry hub of economic activity for the Americas, representing the most developed market, and an estimated 55 percent of the total economic impact within the Americas. The majority of that comes from mega markets Orlando, Florida and Southern California where visits to the major parks account for almost 41 percent of total park visits in the U.S. A wealthy market, U.S. residents are hungry for entertainment and developers and operators are happy to deliver. Universal’s new Epic Universe demonstrates the vast demand for attractions of this type from both domestic and international visitors in an already very competitive market. Building upon
-6%
-7%
-8%
-8%
-9%
-12%
-16%
-20%
-23%
-26%
-31%
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Source: Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
6 THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMIST: AMERICAS EDITION 2025 | © LDP
THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMIST: AMERICAS EDITION 2025 | © LDP 7
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