Millions of Wealthy Travelers Targeted Ahead of Epic Universe's Opening in Central Florida

Millions of wealthy travelers have been advised to visit Universal Epic Universe theme park.

On May 22, 2025, the theme park scene in Florida is set to be transformed like never before. Central Florida, renowned as the epicenter of some of the world’s most iconic and frequently visited resorts, boasts attractions such as the expansive Walt Disney World Resort, spanning over 25,000 acres with its four theme parks and two water parks, alongside Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando.

However, in just four months, Universal Orlando Resort will raise the bar with the grand opening of Epic Universe, its highly anticipated new theme park. This addition will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, featuring distinct themed lands like Celestial Park, Dark Universe, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic.

“It’s been almost 25 years since a major theme park from Disney or Universal has opened in the United States,” the popular publication, TRAVEL+LEISURE wrote in its Top 50 Best Places to Visit article.

“Universal Epic Universe marks a huge transformational moment for Universal Orlando Resort, and it will change everything about our destination,” President and COO of Universal Orlando Resort, Karen Irwin, said in a statement shared with T+L. “This will be the exciting culmination of our amazing growth over the past 30-plus years and will transform Universal Orlando into a weeklong vacation destination filled with the most thrilling experiences imaginable.”

The self-declared World’s most influential travel brand, TRAVEL+LEISURE, prides itself on elevating experiences. “At TRAVEL+LEISURE, we inspire and empower the world’s most curious and passionate travelers to travel more—and travel better,” the company’s mission statement reads. “We help to elevate their experience through content and tools that serve them across their entire journey, from dreaming to planning to booking to traveling.”

Their decision to include Universal Epic Universe in their top 50 places could have a major effect on travelers’ choices when considering a trip to Central Florida. T+L boasts over 15 million social media followers across platforms, over 11.3 million digital unique visitors (UVs), and a circulation of close to 1 million (figures per T+L‘s 2023 media kit).

Another interesting fact gleaned from T+L‘s kit is that the average Household Income (HHI) of its audience is $400,000. Affluent readers, especially those interested in theme parks, are likely to heed the publication’s advice and book a trip to the latest major addition to the theme park space.

Another Florida location was also featured on the Top 50 list—but it wasn’t Walt Disney World Resort. The last time Disney World was featured on the list was in 2023 when the publication chose the Mouse’s flagship theme park because of the (now-defunct) Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and the continued 50th anniversary celebrations.

No, the second location is Sanibel Island, which T+L notes for its remarkable comeback following Hurricane Ian and last year’s Hurricane Milton.

In fact, this year is rather unremarkable for Walt Disney World Resort when it comes to updates as big as Epic Universe. The parks are seeing a huge number of closures and refurbishments, including the permanent closure of Animal Kingdom attractions and the indefinite closure of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ahead of the complete Frontierland overhaul coming in the near future.

It almost feels like a preparation year for the House of Mouse, and even though they are seemingly challenging Epic Universe through their “Infinite Worlds’ commercial, it does look like 2025 will be all about Universal Orlando Resort. Further afield, the Comcast-owned company will also eventually debut the year-round horror experience, Univeral’s Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas.

Universal Epic Universe will open on May 22, 2025. Three new hotels–Universal Stella Nova Resort, Universal Terra Luna Resort, and Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel–will also open between January and May this year.

Have you already booked tickets for Universal Epic Universe? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!