Theme Parks Were Flat. Water Parks Grew.

The world's biggest theme parks had a flat year in 2025. The biggest water parks grew.

That's the headline from the Themed Entertainment Association's latest Global Experience Index. Attendance at the top 25 theme parks was essentially unchanged. The top 20 water parks grew about 3%.

One example stands out: Aquaventure World in Dubai welcomed around 2 million guests, the second-highest water park attendance in the world. And it isn't a standalone day out. It sits inside a resort, next to hotels, restaurants and the beach.

Here's what I think this means for Indian operators.

1. Our climate is a natural advantage. For most of the year, a water park works with the weather, not against it.
2. A water park works best as part of a bigger stay. A hotel, a resort, or even a strong food and events offer turns a few hours into a full day, or a weekend.
3. Growth will come from what surrounds the slides as much as the slides themselves: shade, seating, food, cabanas, evening programmes.

India has built plenty of water parks. The next step is building them as destinations.

Are you seeing water parks outperform dry parks in your market?