Travelers and hometown folk alike are taking to the theme parks, with 2011 seeing significant increases in attendance from the previous year, led by Universal Studios' 29% bump over 2010, due largely to the launch of the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter".

Tampa's Busch Gardens saw a 2% increase, but found itself inside the TOP 25 theme parks worldwide at #23, and sitting at #12 in America, based on attendance. Also in Tampa, in the "water park" category, Adventure Island ranked 7th in the U.S. with a 2.9% attendance boost, hosting 644,000 swimmers and sunbathers.

Disney remained the proverbial king of these adventurelands, with the Magic Kingdom seeing a 1% increase in visits, despite a 3.6% increase in single day passes, from $82.00 to $85.00, halway through the year.

According to the California-based Themed Entertainment Association, ranked here are the TOP 25 amusement/theme parks worldwide, with their 2011 attendance figures, with every American Park in the TOP 25 seeing an increase in visits over 2010:

1/ MAGIC KINGDOM at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A.
17,142,000

2/ DISNEYLAND, Anaheim, CA, U.S.A.
16,140,000

3/ TOKYO DISNEYLAND, Tokyo, Japan
13,996,000

4/ TOKYO DISNEY SEA, Tokyo, Japan
11,930,000

5/ DISNEYLAND PARK AT DISNEYLAND
PARIS, Marne-La-Vallée, France
10,990,000

6/ EPCOT at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A.
10,825,000

7/ DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A.
9,783,000

8/ DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS at Walt Disney World,
Lake Buena Vista, FL, U.S.A.
9,699,000

9/ UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN,
Osaka, Japan
8,500,000

10/ ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE at Universal Orlando, FL, U.S.A.
7,674,000

11/ LOTTE WORLD, Seoul, South Korea
7,580,000

12/ OCEAN PARK, Hong Kong SAR
6,955,000

13/ EVERLAND, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea
6,570,000

14/ DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, Anaheim, CA, U.S.A.
6,341,000

15/ UNIVERSAL STUDIOS at Universal Orlando, FL, U.S.A.
6,044,000

16/ HONG KONG DISNEYLAND, Hong Kong SAR
5,900,000

17/ NAGASHIMA SPA LAND, Kuwana, Japan
5,820,000

18/ SEAWORLD FLORIDA, Orlando, FL, U.S.A.
5,202,000

19/ UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD, Universal City, CA, U.S.A.
5,141,000

20/ WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PARK AT DISNEYLAND PARIS,
Marne-La-Vallée, France
4,710,000

21/ EUROPA PARK, Rust, Germany
4,500,000

22/ SEAWORLD CALIFORNIA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
4,294,000

23/ BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY, Tampa, FL, U.S.A.
4,284,000

24/ DE EFTELING, Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands
4,125,000

25/ TIVOLI GARDENS, Copenhagen, Denmark
3,963,000