Record numbers of theme park visitors are preparing for thrilling and memorable new experiences as the unofficial theme park season opens Memorial Day Weekend.
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ IAAPA Global Theme and Amusement Park Outlook Report (2017 to 2021), in 2018 the anticipated U.S. theme and amusement park attendance estimate is 398.5 million and guest spending will grow to an estimated $23.58 billion.
Where are we going on Spring Break in 2016?
After a long winter, Spring Break couldn’t come soon enough for many of us. Google has determined the top Spring Break destinations based on searches related to Spring Break travel. Here are the top 5 destinations where US travelers may be headed this year.
Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of “Panama City”, despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City Beach two separate cities. Panama City Beach’s slogan is “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches” due to the unique sugar-white sandy beaches of northwest Florida.
Panama City Beach has been a popular vacation destination, especially among people in the Southern United States. The city is also a very popular spring break destination, sometimes having been referred to as “The Spring Break Capital of the World,” due to about 100,000+ college and high school students who would arrive during the months of March and April.
South Padre Island is a resort town in Cameron County, Texas. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Area. The town is located on South Padre Island, a barrier island along the Texas Gulf Coast accessible via the Queen Isabella Causeway from the town of Port Isabel.
South Padre Island is home to many watersport activities, with personal water craft rental, kiteboarding and dolphin watches being the most popular. Other favorites are horseback riding adventures on the beach and ecological tours that explore Padre Island National Seashore.
In March, the island is a popular spring break destination for college students from around the world. The rest of the year it is a popular family resort destination, with July being the most crowded.
The granddaddy of all theme parks, and the number one vacation destination, Disney World is a perennial favorite for Spring Breakers. Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake, Florida, near Kissimmee and Orlando, and is the flagship of Disney’s worldwide corporate empire. The resort opened on October 1, 1971, and is the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an attendance of over 52 million annually.
Disney property covers 27,258 acres, housing 27 themed resort hotels, nine non–Disney hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, one nine-hole walking golf course for young golfers, two themed miniature golf courses, one camping resort, a downtown-like shopping district, and other entertainment venues. Magic Kingdom was the first and original theme park to open in the complex followed by Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which opened later throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Spring Breakers aren’t necessarily looking for an ocean view and sandy beaches. If you’re a theme park fan and yearn for state-of-the-art attractions and entertainment, this is the place. The Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando, is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. Universal Orlando is the largest property operated by Universal Parks & Resorts, is the largest resort in Orlando, Florida, and is the second-largest resort in Greater Orlando after Walt Disney World.
Universal Orlando consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure), a night-time entertainment complex (Universal CityWalk Orlando), and four Loews Hotels (Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Cabana Bay Beach Resort).
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida. It’s a destination year-round, and one of America’s favorite Spring Break locations. You’ll find 6 miles of ocean beaches with excellent beach access from one end of the city to the other, 3 oceanfront parks, a 27-hole public golf course on the Banana River, excellent hotel / motel accommodations , and a wide range of dining choices to fit the taste buds and budget of everyone.
Be awed – Watch a space launch from the Beach! Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Space Launch Centers are just a few miles to the north. Even the locals come out to watch the spectacular views of day and night launches. Or spend a day visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – less than 30 minutes away.
Cocoa Beach is just minutes from Florida’s fastest growing port – Port Canaveral. Embark from the world class cruise terminals aboard affordable cruises to exotic Caribbean destinations or take a day cruise aboard a casino ship. Deep-sea fishing boats and day sails are also available at the Port.
Source: Google Trends, Jan. 2011–Jan. 2015, Travel, United States.
Source: Google Data, Feb. 2015, United States.
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