Domestic Travel Driving Comcast's Theme Park Recovery

The Comcast Corporation announced on Thursday that its theme park division had seen a massive boost during the fourth quarter due to a rising number of domestic tourists visiting the properties.

According to Reuters.com, Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts revealed during a conference call with investors that the NBCUniversal media unit saw a 25.6 percent rise in revenue, driven by a recovery in the company's theme parks division.

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Comcast’s theme parks division had the most profitable fourth quarter in NBCUniversal's history thanks to the high number of domestic tourists entering the properties who spent more when they visited.

“We are producing more of the premium content our viewers love, and continue to provide them with multiple ways to access it, including on Peacock, while ramping construction of Epic Universe and welcoming even more guests to our theme parks,” Roberts said.

In 2021, the company’s amusement parks earned $5.05 billion, an increase of 141 percent from the $2.09 billion in revenue reported the previous year. Fourth-quarter earnings were $1.88 billion, a 191 percent increase from $648 million in the same quarter of 2020.

In addition to the financial success of the theme parks, Roberts revealed that Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe property is scheduled to open by summer 2025. Officials said construction was “full-steam ahead,” but an exact opening date was not announced.

Universal previously confirmed Super Nintendo World would be one of the new theme park’s lands, but no further details were revealed.

Last year, Universal Parks & Resorts named Mark Woodbury as its next Chairman and CEO following the retirement announcement of Tom Williams. Woodbury stepped into his new role on January 1, allowing for a brief transition period as Williams will retire on March 16.