Amusements Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030

Major companies in the amusements market include The Walt Disney Company; Las Vegas Sands Corp; Universal Studios Inc; MGM Resorts and Merlin Entertainment Group.

The global amusements market is expected to grow from $517.44 billion in 2020 to $579.92 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $763.88 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 7%.

The amusements market consists of sales of amusements services such as amusement parks entertainments and gambling services and related goods by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that operate amusements facilities such as theme parks, water parks, amusement arcades, casinos, and sports betting facilities. The amusements market is segmented into amusement parks and gambling.

Asia Pacific was the largest region in the global amusements market, accounting for 37% of the market in 2020. North America was the second largest region accounting for 29% of the global amusements market. Middle East was the smallest region in the global amusements market.

Amusement parks are increasingly using virtual and augmented reality technology to provide an immersive experience to customers. Virtual reality is a 3D, computer generated environment which can interact with a person, whereas augmented reality turns an environment into a digital interface by placing virtual objects in the real world. Amusement parks are implementing this technology in rides and theater-based attractions. For instance, Plopsaland De Panne in De Panne, Belgium has a new virtual reality wooden roller coaster called Heidi The Ride, which can reach speeds of more than 43mph. Amusement park SeaWorld has started operating a new Kraken Virtual Reality Roller Coaster in Orlando. The Weave Breaker coaster brings the reality of jet skiing in an amusement park. Universal Studios have The Walking Dead mazes with augmented reality elements.

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has acted as a massive restraint on the amusements market in 2020 as governments globally imposed lockdowns and restricted domestic and international travel limiting the need for services offered by these establishments. COVID 19 is an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China and spread globally including Western Europe, North America and Asia. Steps by national governments to contain the transmission have resulted in closure of recreational facilities such as amusement parks, museums and casinos with countries entering a state of 'lock down' and the outbreak is expected to continue to have a negative impact on businesses throughout 2020 and into 2021. However, it is expected that the amusements market will recover from the shock across the forecast period as it is a 'black swan' event and not related to ongoing or fundamental weaknesses in the market or the global economy.

Increasing use of social media and access to mass media is positively influencing the amusements market. Visitors in amusements facilities such as amusement parks like sharing their experiences, photographs and videos on social media platforms which helps other people know the experiences offered by the amusement parks. According to a study conducted by Visa, a cards and payments company, 73% of Asians check-in online while on a holiday and as many as 71% people share their experiences on social media sites. Social media is the most effective marketing tool for amusements facilities such as casinos and amusement parks to acquire new customers. Extensive use of social media is expected to drive the amusements market going forward.