Technology is rapidly transforming the way we work and live. At a time of technological innovation, the attractions industry is an interesting place to be. Operators and companies in the business are utilising new technologies and inventing them. A few of the most exciting technology trends to keep an eye on in 2025 are holograms, robots, sci-fi transport, and drones.
Of course, AI continues to be both hyped up and widely utilised in the LBE sector. Many museums are using the technology to create unique visitor attractions, while theme park groups like Six Flags are enhancing the guest experience. Some of our top technology trends for this year carry over from last year’s predictions.
Read on to find out what we think will be emerging this year.
1. Immersive technologies
One of the fastest-growing technology trends in the attractions industry for 2025 is new and emerging technologies used to enhance the guest experience. These tools include AR, VR, LED screens, projection mapping, and AV media.
The €2.3bn Sphere entertainment venue in Las Vegas, for example, boasts the largest and highest-resolution LED screen, as well as the world’s largest concert-grade audio system.
Global technology company Cosm builds end-to-end solutions for immersive experiences. The firm has developed revolutionary venue technology to seamlessly bridge the physical and virtual worlds. This is achieved through the company’s 12K+ LED dome display technology and immersive software and content.
A pioneer when it comes to immersive technologies is Epic Universe, the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando in Florida. Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, has said it will be “the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done”.
Redefining immersion at Epic Universe
One example is the Battle at the Ministry ride in the new park’s Harry Potter land. Billed as one of Universal’s most impressive to date, this will include immersive environments and unique ride technology. “It will redefine, in my mind, what immersion really is,” said Anisha Vyas Burgos, assistant director of projects at Universal Creative.
The attraction will boast omnidirectional ride vehicles, a trackless ride system, high-resolution projections and media screens, smoke effects, motion simulation, interactive elements such as wands and wearables, real-time control systems, spatial audio technology, and AR.
Over at Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia, developers are creating an innovative stadium with holographic technology, and a performing arts centre that will enhance the theatre experience with technologies such as VR, AR and AI. The multibillion-dollar destination will also be digitally connected through AI, data analytics and cloud technology.
Even water parks are adding immersive technologies. Aquascope, a unique €57 million immersive water park from French theme park Futuroscope, is enhanced through projection mapping and lighting, spatialised sound, interactive elements, and choreographed water effects.
Immersive tech in aqua parks
Universal Rocks, an expert in planning, building and developing themed areas to reproduce the beauty of nature, built the rock scenery for several elements at Aquascope. Modulo Pi, a provider of media server solutions with a user-friendly design, is powering the park’s audiovisual experiences.
Moment Factory, the multimedia entertainment studio specialising in the conception and production of immersive environments, also worked on the water park’s immersive area.
Companies like Octopus Design Studio offer products such as FluidLED – the world’s first and only low-voltage LED display system created specifically for use in wet and harsh environments.
2. Holograms
Another of our top technology trends for 2025 is holograms. The LBE industry’s holographic trailblazer is still ABBA Voyage, an innovative production that uses cutting-edge technology to recreate the Swedish pop stars. These digital avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a visual effects company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
To become holograms, the band performed in motion capture suits. Cameras scanned their body movements and facial expressions. “Creating ABBA digitally took a long time, with over 1,000 VFX artists,” Svana Gisla, a producer for ABBA Voyage, told blooloop.
Ludvig Andersson, also a producer for ABBA Voyage, said the project “took up ten times as much processing power as all the Star Wars movies”.
Another hologram experience was seen at last year’s New York Fashion Week. Barco, the technology company focusing on innovative visualisation solutions, powered the visuals for National Geographic’s immersive runway experience at the event, which featured lifelike holographic images of extraordinary animals.
Then there’s US-based company Base Xperiential, the creator of the HoloTheater. This combines scientifically accurate large-scale holograms that jump out from the screen with panoramic film in a shared 3D audience experience without the need for glasses.
Fashion, music, animals and more
Other visitor attractions are creating tech-driven animal apparitions, too. Australia, China and Canada, for example, are home to hologram zoos, and the first in the US is now open in Austin, Texas. This features a more than 60-foot holographic tunnel, through which visitors walk while wearing 3D glasses to view animals and dinosaurs.
Bruce Dell, chief executive of Axiom Holographics and Hologram Zoo creator, told the BBC: “You are projecting an object in the air that appears to be real because as you walk around it you are seeing it from all sorts of different angles. So, you use laser light and we project these objects into the air.”
He added: “Everyone is expecting the hologram revolution. It is something we see in science fiction and we should have had it by now. But holograms have always been so expensive. We felt there were some things to do there to make them a lot cheaper.
Everyone is expecting the hologram revolution
“Holograms normally take tremendous amounts of computing power. You’ll normally have 10 computers hooked together to do them. Because of our good understanding of how computer memory management works, we’ve been able to make algorithms that reduce holograms down to just one computer.”
3. Sci-fi transport
Futuristic transport is another of blooloop’s technology trends for 2025, what with flying ships and taxis straight out of a sci-fi film about to debut all over the world. Dubai seems to be ahead of the game, with plans for its first flying taxi station now approved by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
Adjacent to Dubai International Airport, the Dubai International Vertiport will be the first of four initial Skyports vertiports in Dubai. It will also be the first commercial vertiport in the UAE. Ground was broken on the vertiport in late 2024, with commercial air taxi operations scheduled to start in 2026.
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director general of the GCAA, said the approval “advances the UAE’s leadership in adopting innovative aviation solutions”.
Flying ships and taxis
Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said: “What we’re undertaking in Dubai – and driving in other regions – completely reimagines the way people travel around cities and between regions.”
Saudi Arabia’s Neom, a $500 billion tourism development, will use the world’s first flying electric ships to carry guests around its waterways. The Candela P-12 uses 80 percent less energy than traditional ships while flying above the waves on computer-guided underwater wings called hydrofoils.
From the skies and the seas, we venture underground, although still in the Middle East. The Boring Company, Elon Musk‘s tunnel construction firm, has announced plans for a 17km transportation system beneath Dubai. The Dubai Loop will connect major hubs across the city, able to transport more than 20,000 passengers per hour at speeds of up to 100 mph.
The Boring Company has already built a loop in Las Vegas, which has transported more than two million passengers through tunnels in Teslas since 2021.
Meanwhile, Oceaneering has developed sci-fi style self-guided, driverless transit vehicles. The company now has a partnership with Falcon’s Beyond Global, a fully integrated development enterprise for IP-driven parks, resorts, media and merchandise.
4. Tech-driven wellness
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness economy is expected to generate almost 8.5 trillion by 2027. From AirPod hyperbaric chambers at Vietnam’s Wafaifo Resort Hoi An to brain biohacking at Jumeirah hotels, technology-driven wellness is one of the biggest trends to watch in 2025.
Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, senior director of wellness strategy at Red Sea Global, previously spoke about the use of technology and AI in the wellbeing business. New developments include robotic massage and the Chopra Foundation Institute’s AI-driven virtual wellness assistant.
She says: “Demand from new groups of travelers for more personalized, tailored and immersive wellness experiences based on individual preferences is on the rise.
“In a world where stress and health concerns are more prevalent, the wellness tourism industry must, therefore, embrace innovative practices and technologies to stay relevant and attract a broader audience.”
The wellness tourism industry must embrace innovative technologies
Apple’s Vision Pro headset also offers health and wellness apps, including Cedars-Sinai’s Xaia app. This features a trained digital avatar to give AI-enabled therapy sessions in relaxing spatial environments, like a beach.
Apple Vision
“Apple Vision Pro’s stunning display offers a gateway into a world of immersive, interactive behavioral health support — a quantum leap beyond previous technologies,” said Brennan Spiegel, director of health services research for Cedars-Sinai.
“With Xaia, we leverage every pixel of that remarkable resolution and the full spectrum of vivid colors to craft a form of immersive therapy that’s engaging and deeply personal.
“With this remarkable device, our team was able to completely reimagine how spatial computing can support behavioral health and overall wellbeing in ways never before possible.”
More Vision Pro offerings include the Mindfulness app, which can transform users’ surroundings into a calming and immersive space. The Tripp app offers illuminating visuals and spatial audio for guided breathing exercises, while Odio uses spatial audio and intuitive gestures to display 3D images in a user’s space for focus, relaxation or sleep.
Health and wellbeing concepts
Another wellness concept is from Meow Wolf co-founder Corvas Brinkerhoff, who plans to open an immersive spa called Submersive in Austin, Texas in 2026. A new kind of bathhouse, Subversive will feature immersive art, video projections, lasers and AI.
In LA, an experience called Chromasonic Field allows guests to see sound and hear colour by translating sound frequencies to light, and light frequencies to sound, in real time. This is achieved through proprietary, cutting-edge technology called Chromasonic Refrequencing, which is combined with spatial design in the installation.
And when it comes to digital fitness, Ethereal Matter is merging gaming with resistance training. As the website says, “the experience is virtual, the fitness is reality”.
5. Grab-and-go technology
One of the most efficient trends for 2025 is grab-and-go technology powered by AI and robots. Slowly being adopted by theme parks and visitor attractions, the technology is designed to streamline retail and dining operations.
In the UK, Legoland Windsor is home to the first-ever checkout-free shop in a European theme park. Duplo Coffee Co features Zippin’s AI-powered platform, which utilises machine learning and sensor fusion technology. Guests can buy F&B without queuing and are automatically billed as they exit.
Helen Milligan-Smith, CEO of Aramark UK, a Merlin Entertainments’ F&B partner, said: “The adoption of this autonomous approach helps meet the needs of guests who want to make the most of their visit to the theme park.”
Krishna Motukuri, CEO and co-founder of Zippin, said: “Zippin makes a lot of sense for theme parks that attract thousands of guests per day. High-traffic retailers that convert their traditional stores to Zippin technology often see revenue increases of 78 percent or more.”
Across the pond, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California opened an Amazon-powered cashierless shop in 2023. The Quick 6 concept store uses Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ technology, which eliminates checkout lines and gives guests more time in the park.
Amazon-powered cashierless shops
“Our goal is to elevate our guests’ experience and allow them to spend more time making memories instead of standing in line,” said Stephanie Borges, global vice president of Six Flags.
The tech can detect what guests take from or return to the shelves and creates a virtual shopping trip. When they are finished, guests can leave the store and their payment method will be charged.
The checkout-free idea has also been seen in Amazon Go convenience stores, Amazon Fresh locations and Whole Foods supermarkets, and now has a home in sports stadiums and universities.
An additional concept in the US is CaliExpress by Flippy, described as the world’s first fully autonomous and AI-powered restaurant. It was available as a pop-up venue in Pasadena, California last year with a grill robot to grind beef and Flippy the robotic fry station to cook fries to exact times.
“AI-powered, robotic order-taking and cooking enables the major chains that feed America to substantially improve quality, consistency and speed,” said Rich Hull, CEO of Flippy creator Miso Robotics.
6. Robots
Like last year, robots are one of blooloop’s key technology trends for 2025.
We’ve seen bots in the attractions industry providing security, entertaining guests and taking on climate change. This year’s CES featured a lot of very cute bots, including home surveillance robots, assistant robots, and a realistic robotic pet created in collaboration with Jim Henson‘s Creature Shop (via Dezeen).
Walt Disney Imagineering has been working on robots for many years. New projects include “untethered” robots that fly using “hybrid air and water power”, and the new bipedal robotic BDX droids at Disneyland.
These free-roaming droids can interact with visitors, emote, dance, and walk on uneven terrain. They’re so impressive that they were cast in the 2026 film The Mandalorian & Grogu.
“The robots actually learn to imitate artistic motion – that’s the secret sauce to make them work so quickly. They can actually emote and learn to dance. They can get really angry and their eyes turn red,” said Moritz Bächer, associate lab director at Disney Research. He added: “They walk over uneven terrain. They can still balance. They’re really robust.”
Another groundbreaking new project is RoboGuide, developed by Dyno Robotics in Sweden. The bot revolutionizes how visitors interact with museums and science centres and is powered by breakthroughs in generative AI.
BDX droids and cute robots
And then there’s Ai-Da, a humanoid robot who keeps making headlines, and whose portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing sold at auction for over $1m. It was initially estimated to sell for between $120,000 and $180,000.
Ai-Da’s past achievements include a role in the world’s largest mass participation AI art event, and an AI exhibition and event series at Oxford University. She has also exhibited at Tate Modern, London’s Design Museum, the V&A and the Ashmolean Museum, among others.
7. Drones
Another of our top technology trends for 2025 is drones, and we expect to see more unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies above global attractions in the years to come.
Take Disneyland Paris’ work with Dronisos, a leading drone light show specialist. Disney Electrical Sky Parade is a multi-sensory experience with more than 500 synchronised drones, including pyro-drones. Another Dronsios show achieved a Guinness World Record for a spectacular tricolour Mickey Mouse head made out of 1571 drones.
Other nighttime productions that Dronisos has contributed to in the park include Disney D-Light and Avengers: Power the Night, as well as a show marking the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral.
In addition to incredible aerial displays, drones are being used across the industry, ranging from interactive visitor experiences to innovative conservation initiatives. At Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry, for example, young guests can fly real drones.
Meanwhile, zoological organisations like Ocean Park Hong Kong and Marwell Zoo are monitoring and protecting wildlife with drones.
Drones for good
The former has come to the aid of local horse shoe crabs using drones and AI. Chen Xi, a research assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and part of the project team, said: “What used to be an hour of collecting data by eye and counting the crabs one by one can easily be done in a few minutes with unmanned drones.”
UK zoo Marwell Wildlife in Hampshire is developing drones to monitor endangered species in the wild in partnership with the University of Southampton. The drones will observe animals such as snow leopards in Kazakhstan and Grévy’s zebra in Kenya, assessing body condition and learning about their migration patterns.
8. AI as an experience
The artificial intelligence boom continues in 2025, and is one of our top technology trends for the year ahead. Thanks to advances in AI, the visitor experience is transforming. Many museums are using the tech to enhance interactivity and personalise the guest experience.
Last year, at the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Zoology, guests could have two-way chats with dead animals on display through AI. At Florida’s Dalí Museum, an AI-driven exhibit allows guests to ask the Spanish Surrealist artist questions and receive replies. Back in the UK, Bletchley Park is creating a life-sized AI version of Alan Turing for a new interactive experience.
Dataland aims to use AI for good
Elsewhere, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has launched an AI-powered tool called ‘Art Explorer’ that lets users collect and compare artworks in the museum’s collection. For another project, tech powerhouse Lenovo teamed up with the Shanghai Natural History Museum to bring animals to life using spatial computing and AI.
An interesting invention in this area of the attractions industry is by Mad Systems. Driven by AI, Alice is a groundbreaking experiential and creative technology that transforms the visitor experience in exhibition spaces.
In big news, new media artist Refik Anadol is to open the world’s first museum of AI arts, called Dataland, in downtown LA this year.
Anadol told blooloop: “The museum is a reflection of our time, but also aims to use AI for good and to solve problems like accessibility, ethical data collection and use, and sustainability by computing with renewable energy. We are trying our very best to be a good example while innovating and creating breakthroughs.”
9. AI to enhance the experience
One more of our top technology trends for 2025 is AI as a tool to enhance the experience, with many companies in the attractions industry using the technology to streamline operations and digital offerings.
Six Flags, for example, is undergoing an AI-driven digital transformation. Features include a new digital concierge powered by generative AI and named Missi Six, as well as “the world’s most comprehensive AI drowning prevention system” at Six Flags water parks.
Chatbots have also been welcome additions. blooloop has one now, and other companies in the industry to launch them include Smeetz, a provider of smart all-in-one ticketing software for leisure and cultural attractions; Convious, a leading eCommerce platform for the leisure industry; and Attractions.io, a leading creator of mobile visitor apps.
Camiel Kraan, founder and CEO of Convious, told blooloop: “We are always looking at how we can increase the whole revenue for operators and improve the experience for visitors.
Six Flags’ digital transformation + chatbots
“It’s not just about giving someone a barcode for their ticket and saying, ‘Good luck, have fun,’ but about enhancing that interaction with intelligent, real-time solutions.”
Illumix, an AR technology and immersive storytelling company, is also in the AI space. It worked on the Harry Potter pop-up experience at Riyadh Season 2024. The attraction utilises AI-powered technology and immersive computing, Illumix said.
Last but not least, media and entertainment conglomerate Disney has created a business unit to explore the potential use of AI and other emerging technologies across its movie, television and theme park divisions.
In a memo sent to staff in November 2024, Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said the “pace and scope of advances in AI and XR are profound and will continue to impact consumer experiences, creative endeavors, and our business for years to come – making it critical that Disney explore the exciting opportunities and navigate the potential risks”.
“The pace and scope of advances in AI and XR are profound”
Bergman said: “Our ability to remain at the forefront of technological advances will only be more critical as we move forward – making it all the more important to understand and embrace new technological shifts in ways that enable our people, creativity, and business.”
