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Although the world economy suffers a great slowdown, especially in the United States, the country's amusement parks are still a popular destination among both, Americans and tourists, with a great number of visitors registered last summer. According to Amusement Today magazine it might not be a surprise that more people in the United States visit the country's amusement parks, because it is a more affordable entertainment compared to traveling to Europe, for instance, besides, it could be more fun.

"It has always been the case that, even in tough times, people will still spend money to get out of the house. Amusement parks offer that escape at a price that many people can justify," mentioned Tracy Sarris, president of the International Association for the Leisure and Entertainment Industry.

According to Sarah Gmyr, spokesperson for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the amusement parks in the United States continuously add new attractions, new rides and improve their services, while introducing new ones such as VIP programs that make it possible for the guests to move to the front of a ride line. With non-stop improvements, the amusement parks not only maintain the interest among people, but increase the number of visitors that today are more likely to save money by spending time in their country instead of traveling somewhere else.

One example of an amusement park that registers a continuous increase in the number of visitors is the Universal Studios in Orlando. Despite the fact that the number of people traveling to Florida decreased, the state's popular park continues being popular. Such success might be due to the fact that Universal Studios opened in 2008 The Simpson's Ride, which takes people to a great adventure in a place called Krustyland, where visitors can observe a psychotic Sideshow Bob on the lam. Besides, the same year the amusement park opened a new ride called Disaster! which represents a Major Motion Picture Ride that takes advantage of HD video projection technology able to produce 3-D pictures of participants starring in movie trailers.

Asian and European Parks

Surprisingly, the global economic crisis did not affect amusement parks in Asian countries. Almost all parks in Asia reported a growth in the number of visitors. An increase of more than 250,000 visitors (10 percent more if compared to the previous year) was registered by the brand new Hong Kong Disney, an amusement park that previously was much less popular than the older Ocean Park, which was built in 2007. However, an increase in attendance was the result of brand recognition of the United States, Japan and Europe.

It is worth mentioning that Disneyland Paris increased the numbers by 688,000, which means that it has 9 million visitors more than Europa-Park, second biggest amusement park in Europe. Such a difference between the Disneyland Paris and other parks is due to its placement – the amusement park is located in Marne-La-Vallee, within the Parisian metropolitan area. The Europa-Park, in contrast can be found in the town of Rust, Germany, being somewhat distant with Freiberg and Strasbourg  that are the closest urban centers.

Europe also features a number of other amusement parks, including the much admired Tivoli Gardens. Such parks mix charm and dream that influenced a lot of other parks, but the Disneyland Paris. A lot of people might not notice it, but the amusement parks around the world are very different. Although you can find the word Disney in many locations starting with Orlando, United States and till Tokyo, Japan, but different countries have their own traditions, which is why amusements parks found in these countries can serve as a kind of cultural tourism.

"No two parks in the world are the same. Each one is created to appeal to its core market, which is based on its physical location. Parks offer a different mix of attractions and rides that may at first appear to be similar, are in fact, and modified to address local customs and culture," said Gymr.

World's Most-Visited Amusement Parks

Despite the fact that both Disneyworld and Disneyland have more than one park, for the list of the most visited amusement parks the editors of Forbes Travel picked the most popular section of each, such as for example the Magic Kingdom. Each section served as the watermark for general attendance. This is because the majority of visitors buy tickets that allow visiting several parks during their stay.

15. Knott's Berry Farm,

Location: Buena Park, Calif.

Visitors: 3,565,000

This is the first theme park in the United States. It was created back in 1940 and still works perfectly today, being one of the most visited in the world.

14. Nagashima Spa Land

Location: Kuwana, Japan

Visitors: 3,734,000

The Nagashima Spa Land is a huge tourist complex located in Japan's Mie Prefecture.

13. Tivoli Gardens

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Visitors: 3,972,000

The park was opened back in 1843 and today Tivoli Gardens is both a popular place for concerts and an amusement park.

12. Europa-Park

Location: Rust, Germany

Visitors: 4,000,000

This park was built with the idea of a united European continent.

11. Lotte World

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Visitors: 4,236,000

It is a place for a lot of daredevil attractions like bungee jumping.

10. Busch Gardens

Location: Tampa Bay, Fla.

Visitors: 4,410,000

This amusement park has an African safari theme, featuring a number of some of the most extreme rides.

9. Disneyland Hong Kong

Location: Hong Kong, China

Visitors: 4,500,000

Despite the fact that it is a miniature version of the large Disney amusement park, this park features a lot of the most popular attraction of Disney.

8. Universal Studios Hollywood

Location: Los Angeles, Calif.

Visitors: 4,583,000

This Universal theme park is the first built park in Hollywood, featuring one of the oldest and extremely popular movie studios.

7. Universal Studios Florida

Location: Orlando, Fla.

Visitors: 6,231,000

This park can boast a real movie and television studio where visitors can take a look at what's happening behind the scenes of their favorite shows and have the possibility to take part in the movie magic.

6. Everland

Location: Kyonggi-Do, South Korea

Visitors: 6,600,000

Each year the Everland amusement park holds a festival. It could be the Flower Carnival, Summer Splash, and Christmas Holiday Fantasy.

5. Universal Studios

Location: Japan

Visitors: 8,300,000

This amusement park has a number of similar features as the Universal Studios in Orlando. The Japanese park features the same rides, including the Jaws and ET Adventure.

4. Disneyland Paris

Location: Paris

Visitors: 12,688,000

This park is the most popular in Europe and one of the most popular in the world.

3. Tokyo Disneyland

Location: Tokyo

Visitors: 14,293,000

The Tokyo Disneyland represents a part of the huge Disney complex that encompasses Tokyo DisneySea and several branded hotels.

2. Disneyland

Location: Anaheim, Calif.

Visitors: 14,721,000

The famous Disneyland served as an inspiration for many modern amusement parks. Here you can watch a parade with all your favorite characters from Disney cartoons walking down the Main Street USA. Visitors may also see the new to Story Mania, a great interactive adventure that involves the use of 4-D technology.

1. Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Visitors: 17,063,000

Almost every child has seen (at least on images) the Magic Kingdom, which is, in fact, the core of Walt Disney World. It is the place where you can see Disney characters walking the streets and take a ride at Space Mountain.