Universal Destinations & Experiences facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Universal Destinations & Experiences

Formerly	Universal Parks & Resorts
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Theme park
Founded	July 15, 1964; 61 years ago (1964-07-15)
Headquarters	Orlando, Florida
Number of locations	5
Area served	China, Japan, Singapore, United States
Key people	Mark Woodbury (CEO)
Services	Theme parks, hotel lodging, travel packages, attraction design, licensing, Hotels, entertainment, Resorts
Owner	Comcast
Number of employees	29,000 (2024)
Parent	NBCUniversal
Subsidiaries	Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Orlando Resort Universal Studios Japan Universal Studios Singapore Universal Beijing Resort Universal Kids Resort Universal Horror Unleashed Universal Creative

Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), also known as Universal Parks & Resorts, is the part of NBCUniversal that creates and runs amazing theme parks. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast.

This company, based in Orlando, Florida, manages Universal theme parks and resorts all over the world. Universal Destinations & Experiences is famous for its many rides, themed areas, and experiences. These are inspired by popular characters and stories from movies, TV shows, and other media. They use ideas from both NBCUniversal and other companies.

Universal's journey began in the 1910s as a tour at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California. In 1964, it became the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Here, visitors could see how movies and TV shows were made. They could also enjoy rides based on popular films and shows. The success of Universal Studios Hollywood led to new parks in Florida and other countries.

In 2017, about 49.5 million people visited Universal Studios theme parks. This made it the third-largest theme park company globally. It competes with other big names like Disney Experiences and Six Flags. In August 2020, a report showed that Universal Orlando Resort had more visitors than Walt Disney World Resort in the first months after reopening during the global pandemic. Universal reopened its parks in June 2020, and Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020.

On March 8, 2023, Universal Parks and Resorts announced a new name for the division: "Universal Destinations and Experiences."

Universal's Theme Parks Around the World

Universal Studios Hollywood: The First Park

Universal Studios Hollywood opened on July 15, 1964. It started as a studio tour in 1915. This was after Universal's founder, Carl Laemmle, opened Universal City, California near Los Angeles.

In May 1993, Universal CityWalk opened next to the park. It has many restaurants, shops, and entertainment spots. It also has a large movie theater. The park and studio cover about 415 acres.

Universal Orlando Resort: A Vacation Destination

Universal Orlando Resort opened on June 7, 1990, in Orlando, Florida. It began with Universal Studios Florida, which has themed areas and rides based on movies.

On May 28, 1999, the Universal Islands of Adventure theme park opened. This park has different themed islands with rides based on adventures and characters. This made Universal Orlando a full family vacation resort. Universal CityWalk was also added to connect the two parks. Several hotels have opened at the resort over the years, offering places for guests to stay.

Universal Orlando also has a water park called Universal Volcano Bay. It opened on May 25, 2017. This park has 18 attractions, including slides and lazy rivers. It uses a special wristband system called TapuTapu for virtual queues. This means you don't have to stand in long lines for rides.

In August 2019, Universal announced Universal Epic Universe. This is a third theme park for the Orlando resort. It includes lands like Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, and Dark Universe. This new park opened on May 22, 2025. It also has three new hotels.

Universal Studios Japan: First Outside the U.S.

Universal Studios Japan opened on March 31, 2001, in Osaka, Japan. It was the first Universal Studios theme park to open outside the United States. It was also the first in Asia.

The park has rides from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. It also has a CityWalk area with shops, restaurants, and hotels. The park covers about 108 acres. It is the second most visited amusement park in Japan.

Universal Studios Singapore: In Southeast Asia

Construction for the Singapore park began on April 19, 2008. Universal Studios Singapore had a soft opening on March 18, 2010, and fully opened on May 28, 2011. It was the second Universal Studios park in Asia and the first in Southeast Asia.

Like other Universal parks, it has rides based on Universal movies and other popular stories. These include Jurassic Park, Shrek, The Mummy, and Transformers. The park is about 49 acres in size. Unlike other Universal parks, Genting Group owns Universal Studios Singapore. They operate it with permission from Universal Parks & Resorts.

Universal Beijing Resort: A New Experience in China

Universal Studios Beijing opened on September 20, 2021, in Beijing, China. It has rides and attractions based on Universal movies, TV shows, and other licensed stories.

The project was announced on October 13, 2014. It was a big investment. It is owned by both Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd. and Universal Parks & Resorts. The first phase of Universal Beijing Resort was finished in April 2021. The second phase is planned to start construction in 2025.

Future Universal Parks and Experiences

Universal Horror Unleashed: A Permanent Scare

On January 11, 2023, Universal announced a new "horror experience" called Universal Horror Unleashed. This will be a main attraction in a new area of Las Vegas's Area15 entertainment district. Unlike Universal's temporary Halloween Horror Nights events, this will be open all year.

This new experience is set to open on August 14, 2025, at Area15. In June 2025, Universal announced that Chicago will be the second Universal Horror Unleashed location. This will be the first Universal attraction in the Midwest, planned to open in 2027.

Universal Kids Resort: Fun for Families

On January 11, 2023, Universal also announced a new theme park for families with children. This park, being built in Frisco, Texas, will have themed lands and celebrate Universal's entertainment and characters.

On December 1, 2023, the resort's name was officially revealed as "Universal Kids Resort." Construction began in November 2023. The park is expected to open in May 2026.

Universal Studios Delhi: Entertainment Hub

In May 2025, it was announced that a large entertainment and retail area will be built at New Delhi's Aerocity. This resort, called Universal Studios Delhi, will serve both local and international visitors. It is planned to open in mid-2027.

Universal Studios Great Britain: A European Park

On December 19, 2023, Universal Destinations & Experiences confirmed they bought land in Bedford, United Kingdom. This land is for a possible new theme park. On April 5, 2024, the official Universal UK Project website shared plans for public meetings.

The project is already well underway. It will include new railway stations and better road connections. The park will focus on wildlife and be environmentally friendly. Talks are still happening, so there is no set date for construction to begin. On April 8, 2025, Universal and the UK government announced plans for the park to open in 2031. They expect 8.5 million visitors in its first year.

Unnamed Second Park at Universal Beijing Resort

In April 2021, Universal Beijing announced plans for a second theme park to open by 2025. In September 2023, it was confirmed that construction for this expansion is set to begin in 2025.

Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition

In July 2025, Comcast NBCUniversal announced a new interactive experience. It will open at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, US, in February 2026. This exhibition will have eight themed galleries, many interactive experiences, and over 100 original items.

Past and Cancelled Universal Parks

Cancelled Projects

Universal Studios Europe, Melun-Sénart, France.

Universal considered building a park in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They looked at sites in Paris or London. A site in Melun-Sénart was chosen, and plans were made. However, financial problems with another park in Europe led Universal to cancel this project.

Universal Studios, Manila, Philippines
Universal Studios Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Construction started in 2008 but stopped in 2009)
Universal's Hollywoodland, Krefeld, Germany
Universal Studios Moscow, Moscow, Russia
Universal Studios South Korea, Hwaseong, South Korea

Universal Studios was linked to a project in South Korea since 2005. After delays, talks began in 2016 to open Universal Studios Korea in 2020. However, the project was cancelled in 2017 due to disagreements.

Former Parks

Universal Mediterránea, Salou, Spain (1998–2004)

Port Aventura opened in 1995. In 1998, Universal Parks & Resorts bought a large share of the park. It was renamed 'Universal's Port Aventura' in 1999. In 2002, two hotels and a water park were added, and the resort became 'Universal Mediterranea'. In 2004, Universal sold its share. The resort is now called 'PortAventura' again.

Former Water Parks

Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, Salou, Spain (2002–2004)
Wet 'n Wild Orlando (Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, United States) (1977–2016)

Wet 'n Wild was Universal's main water park in Orlando until it closed on December 31, 2016. It was replaced by Universal Volcano Bay.

Universal Theme Park Attractions and Lands

Universal Studios parks around the world often have similar rides and themed areas. The links above list all the attractions and lands at Universal theme parks. Most of these are based on Universal movies and other popular stories.

Steven Spielberg's Connection to Universal Parks

Director Steven Spielberg has worked closely with Universal Destinations & Experiences for a long time. This is because of his history with Universal Studios, where he was an intern in the late 1960s. He also directed or produced many films for the studio, like Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park.

In March 1987, Spielberg became a creative consultant for Universal theme parks. This happened when Universal was planning its first big theme park in Orlando. The goal was to compete with Walt Disney World. Thomas L. Williams, a Universal Parks leader, said that Spielberg came up with the main idea for Universal Studios Florida: "We were going to put our Guests in their favorite scene from their favorite film. Ride the Movies, if you will."

Since 1987, Spielberg has helped create many attractions. These include E.T. Adventure, Jaws, Jurassic Park: The Ride, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. For his work, he receives a percentage of park ticket sales and concession money from Universal parks in Florida, Japan, and Singapore. The Universal Studios Hollywood park in Los Angeles is not part of this deal.