Dubai's Aquaventure World Ranks Second Globally, Welcoming Two Million Visitors in 2025

Dubai's Aquaventure World has maintained its status as the world's second most popular water park, drawing an impressive two million guests in 2025. This achievement places it just behind Chimelong Water Park in Guangzhou, China, which recorded 2.56 million visitors, according to the latest 2025 TEA Global Experience Index. The annual report, published by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), a global non-profit organization for the themed entertainment industry, assesses attendance figures for leading theme parks, water parks, and museums worldwide.

Aquaventure World surpassed renowned international water parks such as Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Florida (1.76 million visitors) and Universal's Volcano Bay in Orlando (1.6 million visitors). The Dubai park also secured second place in the 2024 rankings, having seen an 11.1 percent increase in attendance from 1.8 million in 2023 to two million in 2024. While visitor numbers remained consistent in 2025, the report indicated a trend towards more guests opting to stay at the adjacent Atlantis resorts rather than making day visits to the water park.

Regionally, Aquaventure World led the water park rankings for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), ahead of Germany's Therme Erding, which attracted 1.95 million visitors. In the broader theme park category for EMEA, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi ranked 19th out of the top 20, with 1.65 million visitors in 2025, though this represented a 5.7 percent decrease from 1.75 million in 2024.

The report underscored the Middle East's ongoing significant investments in entertainment destinations, particularly within the UAE and Saudi Arabia. "The Middle East overall continues to strengthen its position as an established theme park and water park market, with new investments (especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia) expanding both existing destinations and the overall regional attraction offering," the report stated.

Other UAE attractions also performed strongly. Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi welcomed approximately 1.6 million visitors in 2025 and is preparing for future expansions, including the 'Superman: Up, Up and Away' roller coaster in 2028 and a Harry Potter-themed land in 2029. Yas Waterworld enhanced its offerings in July 2025 with the launch of its 'Lost City' phase, adding over 20 new rides, slides, and pools, and increasing its capacity by about 20 percent.

Further developments highlighted include The Walt Disney Company and Miral's announced plans for a new Disney theme park resort on Yas Island, marking Disney's first Middle East theme park. Yas Island is also set to feature Sphere Abu Dhabi, a new entertainment venue expected to be completed by the end of 2029, reinforcing its status as a premier entertainment hub in the region.

In Dubai, Global Village achieved a record 10.5 million visitors in 2025. Saudi Arabia saw the opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City on December 31, 2025, followed by the Aquarabia water park in April 2026, as part of the Qiddiya City development.

The report acknowledged the impact of the regional conflict that began in February 2026. "While 2025 proved to be a strong year for the Middle East and its future growth plans, the regional conflict involving Iran that began in February 2026 has negatively impacted tourism and product development timelines throughout the region," the study noted, adding that the full extent of the disruption is yet to be determined.