The History of Theme Parks, Volume 3: Parks That Took the Industry Global (1990–2025)

Then the whole world wanted one.

In 1990, Universal opened a park in Orlando to challenge Disney on its home ground. Over the next thirty-five years, the theme park spread from Florida and California to Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. This third volume of The History of Theme Parks follows the parks that took the industry global, from Universal Studios Florida in 1990 to Six Flags Qiddiya City in 2025.

Across twenty-six chapters, it travels from Mexico and Brazil to Spain, France and Poland, and on to China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It follows the global brands, the home-grown champions and the resorts built in the desert, and shows how the theme park became a worldwide industry.

THE PARKS IN THIS VOLUME

1. Universal Studios Florida, United States, 1990
2. Xcaret, Mexico, 1990
3. Beto Carrero World, Brazil, 1991
4. Disneyland Paris, France, 1992
5. Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia, 1992
6. Window of the World, China, 1994
7. PortAventura, Spain, 1995
8. Isla Mágica, Spain, 1997
9. Islands of Adventure, United States, 1999
10. Terra Mítica, Spain, 2000
11. Tokyo DisneySea, Japan, 2001
12. Universal Studios Japan, Japan, 2001
13. Hong Kong Disneyland, China, 2005
14. Chimelong Paradise, China, 2006
15. VinWonders Nha Trang, Vietnam, 2006
16. Fantawild Adventure, Wuhu, China, 2007
17. Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore, 2010
18. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2010
19. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China, 2014
20. Energylandia, Poland, 2014
21. Shanghai Disneyland, China, 2016
22. Dubai Parks and Resorts, United Arab Emirates, 2016
23. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2018
24. Genting SkyWorlds, Malaysia, 2022
25. Ghibli Park, Japan, 2022
26. Six Flags Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia, 2025

WHAT YOU GET

• EPUB edition (ISBN 978-87-85639-38-7) for Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most e-readers
• PDF edition (ISBN 978-87-85639-39-4) for reading on screen or printing
• About 66,000 words, 229 pages in A5 format, with a fact box for every park and sources for every chapter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Claus Frimand has worked in the theme park industry for more than thirty-five years, on projects in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The History of Theme Parks is his series on the parks, people, exhibitions and Games that shaped the business of fun.

Published by Forlaget Brøndehøje, Copenhagen.