The entrance portal of the themed park of the epic universe in Orlando, Florida, April 5, 2025.
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Epic things arrive in Orlando.
In just over a month, Universal will officially open the doors of its last theme park, the first large theme park in the Florida region in 25 years, stimulating a major change in the Orlando tourism industry.
Epic Universe is the largest of all the universal properties at 750 acres and presents five themed worlds: the sorcerer world of Harry Potter – the Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, how to train your dragon – the island of Berk, the celestial park and the dark universe.
He will join Universal Studios and Walt Disney World in the Mecca Orlando theme park.
Tourism has long been the main sector of the Center of Florida, attracting national and international visitors. More than 74 million people went to Orlando in 2023, which contributes around 50% of the total sales tax collected in the county of Orange.
The epic universe should not only strengthen the revenues of the theme park for universal, as well as its rival just at the bottom of the highway, DisneyBut also brings billions of dollars to the local economy.
“This is the first major theme park, entirely new in the United States, in 25 years. This is an imperative reason to visit Orlando,” said Casandra Matej, CEO of Visit Orlando, a professional tourism association. “So when you see a major milestone project such as Epic Universe, you know that this will definitely have a domino effect of economic advantages for our community.”
An actor disguised as Astrid Hofferson, on the right, with Dragon Stormfly, performs in the region of How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, in Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, United States, Saturday, April 5, 2025.
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Epic Universe, announced for the first time in 2019, represents the largest company of parents of investment universal Comcast Always done in his themed parks and Florida parks as a whole, said the CEO of Comcast, Brian Roberts, at the time. This figure would be around $ 7 billion.
This massive company, which officially opens on May 22, is a means for Universal to present and monetize its diversified franchise library and strengthen its fun activities. It is currently operating the adventure islands and Universal Studios as well as Volcano, a water park, about one mile on the road.
Universal Orlando generated $ 44 billion in economic impact between 2019 and 2023, according to a report by SEAN SNAH, director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting at the University of Florida Centrale, which was asked by the media company.
And the latest theme park of Universal is already making waves: SNADH has determined that the direct investment of Universal in the epic universe has led to $ 11 billion in economic impact at the national level in the form of construction and operational expenses, as well as the hiring of new employees.
The Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment Amusement Ride in the Dark Universe, at the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, in the United States, Saturday April 5, 2025.
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Universal Orlando generated 94,000 jobs across the country in 2023, including engineers, software specialists, artists, architects and set designers, according to the SNANEH study. About 65,000 jobs were created just to build an epic universe, said the company.
SNADH’s research has also revealed that the epic universe will probably generate around $ 2 billion for the state of Florida during its first year of operation. It should create more than 17,500 new jobs during its first year of opening.
“The job market is in Florida is quite strong at the moment,” said Snais. “It is therefore in a way the rich enriched here. We plan that Florida will continue to go beyond the national economy, both in terms of economic growth and employment growth.”
Once the park is open, visitors remain in local hotels, rent cars, shop and visit restaurants, increasing revenues for other local businesses.
“You see the area around the epic universe increase since this construction,” said Jakob Wahl, CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. “You see new infrastructure. You see new housing. You see new hotels under construction. You see new restaurants Building. It’s a boost for the whole region.”
The theme park experts told CNBC that other destinations in the region, including Disney, will probably see a bump for the opening of the epic universe.
“When Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, there were concerns of themed parks around Paris,” said Wahl. “But the opposite has happened. They have increased their audience. And this is something that is likely to happen in Orlando because it strengthens the destination.”
New developments, whether parks, land or rides, also arouse competition between companies to create more convincing and innovative attractions to attract to guests.
“It’s a rising tide that raises all boats,” said Matej.
As a rule, Universal and Disney receive the patronage of those who visit Orlando, in particular guests who go from outside the state or other countries. Having the additional park means that many will extend their holidays to allow more time to experiment with the epic universe alongside the four Disney theme parks and the other universal fun locations.
“What we know is every day that someone extends their stay, that is to say millions of dollars in economic impact for our community,” said Matej.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of Nbcuniversal and CNBC.