VIDEO: SeaWorld Attendance Drops In 2016, Company Reports Nearly $13 Million Loss
By WFTV // March 1, 2017
partly due to impact of Hurricane Matthew
ABOVE VIDEO: SeaWorld attendance for 2016 fell more than 2 percent to 22 million attendees, from 22.5 million in 2015.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA (WFTV) – With fewer people visiting SeaWorld theme parks, the company reported a worse-than-expected loss.
Attendance at the company’s parks, which has been known for its killer whale water shows, has suffered since the 2013 documentary “Blackfish” suggested that its treatment of animals may have led to the deaths of trainers.
It announced last year that it would not breed killer whales and stop using them in shows. And its first park outside the U.S., set to open in 2022 in Abu Dhabi, won’t feature killer whales at all.
The company said visits to its parks, which fell by 30,000 in the quarter, or 0.7 percent, was due to the impact of Hurricane Matthew in October and a dip in visitors from Brazil.
From September to December, attendance slipped 0.7 percent to 4.38 million from 4.41 million in the same period the year before.
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Attendance for all of 2016 fell more than 2 percent to 22 million from 22.5 million in 2015. The company has 12 theme parks, including Busch Gardens, Adventure Island and its namesake SeaWorld parks.
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