Disney park attendance dips

Walt Disney, the biggest theme park operator in the world, owns

12 parks across three continents.

That’s why it wasn’t surprising when the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and Aecom’s latest report revealed that Disney owned four of the five most visited parks in the world.

But attendance at Disney’s top parks has declined as turnstile clicks at Comcast’s Universal theme parks has risen. Attendance improved at all four Universal properties listed in the top

25 parks: Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood. All 12 of Disney’s parks were listed in the top 25, but attendance fell at 11. The one that didn’t report a drop was Shanghai Disneyland but only because the park hadn’t been open a full year. Disney likely hopes strong results in Shanghai can help offset declines at other properties.

Disney’s theme park revenue won’t dry up anytime soon since it can raise prices to offset weaker attendance. But it should keep an eye on Universal, which is spending billions to expand its parks.

The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney.