Disney World Attendance Projected to Hit 100 Million Annually in 20 Years

Disney World attendance is expected to nearly double to an incredible 100 million annually over the next two decades, with the addition of a major new theme park and two smaller parks, according to projections from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District which oversees development at the resort.

Walt Disney World is projected to welcome 99.3 million visitors a year by 2045 according to a new plan adopted by the tourism district. That represents a 94% increase over the 51.2 million that visited Disney World’s four theme parks and two water parks in 2023.

Disney World currently has no plans under review for any new major or minor theme parks. However, the resort is projected to add a minor theme park by 2030 and second minor theme park by 2035, according to the tourism district. 

The Comprehensive Plan 2045 describes a “minor theme park” as a water park like Typhoon Lagoon or a sports complex like Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

The plan also projects that Disney World will add a major theme park between 2035 and 2045 with an annual attendance of 18.5 million visitors. It describes a “major theme park” as similar in size and scope to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The tourism district projects Disney World will add 8,000 hotel rooms and 11,000 employees over the next two decades to keep up with the growth, which would give it a total of 41,000 hotel rooms and 89,000 employees by 2045.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District that had acted as a county-level government for Disney World since the late 1960s.