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In Mexico, the leading Latin American country in amusement parks (which include zoos, aquariums, water parks and children’s play centres), the entertainment industry is booming. This is demonstrated by the figures provided by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), at its first congress held in the country.
According to the figures, the 1,741 establishments in the category receive 21 million yearly visitors, who spend a total of 530 million dollars on them. And the IAAPA forecasts for 2019 indicate a 6% growth. It’s also an economic activity that generates 3.5 million jobs in the country.
This boom in Mexico’s entertainment industry confirms a globally occurring trend. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the themed attractions of the 10 main world groups in the sector last year exceeded 500 million visitors (501.22 million), 5.4% more than in 2017. UNWTO points out that this industry moves more than 20 billion dollars a year worldwide. On the other hand, these attractions would have a demand of about 1.4 billion tourists (overnight travellers), counted in 2018, or, the equivalent of around 20% of the world population.
“The truth is that it’s a very strong sector,” says Paulina Reyes, IAAPA vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean, “this year has been atypical and some segments resent it more than others, but considering what we have seen over time and in other countries, it’s a situation that tends to stabilize”, and she attributes the sector’s good results to tourists’ tendencies to spend their vacation time locally, rather than abroad.
In general terms, IAAPA notes that the entertainment parks serve 1 billion users a year, with global sales exceeding 44 billion dollars, and it launches a projection of 60.5 billion by 2022, which would mean an increase of 37.5% Without a doubt, a very promising perspective for the sector.
Sources: Expansión, Las Provincias and El Economista.
