Attendance dropped nearly 3% at SeaWorld Entertainment's theme parks last summer when compared with the same period the year before, the company reported today.
SeaWorld's parks drew 7.1 million visitors in the three months ending September 30, down 2.8% from the same period in 2022. For the first nine months of the year, total attendance at the company's parks was down 2.1%, from 17 million to 16.6 million.
"Our attendance levels are still below the total attendance levels we achieved in 2019 and well below our historical high attendance of approximately 25 million guests recorded in 2008," CEO Marc Swanson said. The company blamed "significantly adverse weather, including some combination of unusual heat, cold, rain and/or the fall-out from Canadian wildfires, across most of our markets" as the primary driver of lower attendance.
Overall, net income fell 8.2% year over year for the quarter, to $123.6 million. Total revenue was $548.2 million, down 3%, with total revenue per capita down 0.2%, with a decrease in average admission revenue canceling an increase in average in-park spending. Adjusted EBITDA dropped 2.8% to $266.4 million.
"We continue to make progress on our strategic growth initiatives related to hotels, international expansion and our digital activities," Swanson said. "We also have made meaningful incremental investments across our parks this year that we expect to fully benefit from in the coming quarters. We look forward to sharing more on these exciting and value creating initiatives and investments in the coming quarters into 2024."
In 2023, SeaWorld opened Pipeline the Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, Arctic Rescue at SeaWorld San Diego, DarKoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Serengeti Flyer at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi also opened, though that park is owned and operated by Miral, so its attendance does not count toward SeaWorld's financial results.
In 2024, the company is planning to open Phoenix Rising at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando, Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience at SeaWorld San Diego, and the delayed Catapult Falls at SeaWorld San Antonio. For details on these and other attractions opening elsewhere, please see our What's under construction page.
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When I was at Disney I constantly told people who had sway that when they had meetings with the presidents cabinet make sure to tell them the #1 threat to our business (and Orlando's economy in general) is climate change. I have not gone to parks as a guest from May-September for years now and even the first half of October. You would have to be crazy to pay that insane money to go on vacation here from May-September. I have noticed over the past 10 years or so the parks have gotten slower in the summer (not sure of how much of that can be attributed to climate change/price changes/other factors) but I know the word that Orlando is unbearable in the summer and fall has gotten around. The Halloween Parties at Magic Kingdom (that now start in like early August) people have these expensive elaborate costumes and go to the prak when its 95 degrees out and then the inevitable afternoon thunderstorm drenches them lol. This past summer there was a stretch where it was dangerous just to be outside let alone wait in lines and ride rollercoasters.
In regards to Sea World, I feel like many other businesses that cheap out and treat their customers like ****, they are basically reaping what they sowed. I have done many explanations over the past few years about the issues they have. It's not a coincidence that places where the operations/maintenance/customer service have gone downhill like Disney and Sea World parks are starting to struggle while those that have vastly improved their experience like SDC/Dollywood are setting records. Also Pipeline was a huge waste of money, nobody cares about that. There was an opportunity to build a really huge marketable coaster and tie it into the entrance area like CP did with Gatekeepr and Carowinds did with Fury. Imagine entering Sea World and seeing Kingda Ka launching next to you as you enter the park. That would have actually drawn throngs of tourists to the park. But instead they built a mediocre B&M standup.
That Orlando weather in the summer is no joke. I don't recommend that to anyone. I love Orlando but have avoided that time period under any circumstances. What ends up happening is having to take shorter trips throughout the year and some parks get cut from the itinerary. Robert nailed it. The oppressive summer heat is not going away and these theme parks need to keep that in mind when they develop attractions and most importantly, queues, for their attractions. A 70 minute wait for Slinky Dog Dash in the summer heat may be the straw that breaks the camel's back when a family decides not to come back. For Sea World since this is what the article is about, not having enough indoor attractions.
So a lot of the same people in Florida who constantly screamed “HOAX!” at climate change are now completely baffled as to why the tourists they rely on aren’t coming down to stand in 100 degree heat?
Funny how karma works like that.
It was a twelve day heat aberration, not some long term trending rise in temperatures you claim but can’t prove. We’re doing just fine down here. Worry more about California burning to the ground in a cesspool of businesses leaving, streets littered with homeless and their feces. Even your liberal messiah Bezos moved to Miami. Apparently he’s not worried about rising seas
the idea that Jeff Bezos is liberal is one of the funniest things I've ever read on this website
I do think it's hilarious that you think Florida is doing so much better than California. Florida is #3 in the nation for homeless population (after California & New York). The streets of downtown Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami are littered with homeless and their feces. Florida has the highest inflation in the nation -- rents have doubled in the last 3 years, insurance rates have quadrupled in the past 5. We are #3 in total homicides as well (only behind Texas and California). Plus, the violent crime numbers are heavily under-reported in Florida because only 8% of police agencies share their data with the FBI (who tracks the data). Florida has the lowest participation of any state in the FBI annual violent crime database, most likely because they want to conceal just how bad the crime actually is.
There was a time when SeaWorld Orlando had three solid indoor attractions that gave guests something to do on an inclement day. One has been gutted (Turtle Trek), one is being used seasonally for a haunted house (Wild Arctic), and the other is being replaced by yet another roller coaster (Antarctica). Pretty disappointing development.
They've gutted the guest experience - no surprise here on attendance numbers
as an orlandoan, i can attest that the parks have been quieter in the summer and busier in the "off" season. i have out of towners here this week and have been shocked at the crowds at disney. doing universal today and hoping it's not the insanity we experienced at magic kingdom yesterday. by the way, got a new disney hack (new to me, anyway)...i was not up to doing the fireworks in front of the castle as i wasn't in the mood for new years eve in times square. i ended up back in fantasyland by the carousel. sure, you don't get to see the castle lights, but i've been there done that ad nauseam. so after living here 30+ years, i discovered the awesomeness of seeing the fireworks behind the front of the castle, where you are in between the smaller castle fireworks and the big ones behind the park. sure, there are other parkgoers back there but only a few hundred so you aren't crammed in and can actually move around. can't believe i just now experienced this and definitely will probably view them this way from now on. and yes, i did see tinkerbell (but just not as long). now if i could just enjoy an adult beverage while watching.
i realize this article is about sea world and i will say i went about 3 saturdays ago with the plan to finally ride icebreaker and pipeline. i have never seen that park so packed. as soon as we pulled into the parking lot i thought uh oh. 80 minute waits for both coasters so we ended up skipping and seeing 2 shows, drank a few beers and left. they had spooktacular going on and then howl o scream. like my disney hack above, i've learned not to go to sea world during that time. hopefully i can finally ride the new coasters in december.
Sure Bucs and Canes. I’m sure an entire state that regularly gets drilled by powerful hurricanes and where insurance companies won’t touch any kind of homeowners insurance for tens of millions of residents has an amazing future.
Saturdays in October (and December for Florida parks) are always the busiest days of the year for every park.
I wish I could blame the weather when I missed deadlines or project financial expectations.
"It was a twelve day heat aberration, not some long term trending rise in temperatures you claim but can’t prove."
Ironically today the front page of the Orlando Sentinel is an article about how 2023 is the hottest on record and its directly related to climate change.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/09/last-12-months-on-earth-were-the-hottest-ever-recorded-analysis-finds/
It's strange that SeaWorld doesn't already have more indoor attractions, because the weather in Florida in the summer has always been the same lol, it's hot and humid with a flash thunderstorm in the afternoon. I also don't understand how they can blame wildfires in Canada, that stuff didn't impact us down in Florida. Also @TheOldCream (weird username, BTW) apparently people think so, since Florida continues to have the highest net in migration of any state lol. We can all yell about political issues until we're blue in the face, but it's easy to see where people do and don't want to be, based on simple migration statistics.
A lot of folks move to where they can afford the housing, not necessarily because that’s where they want to be.
@frankjones
Population is not directly linked to standard of living and there are many examples, both today and throughout history, of places with huge populations who have a comparatively poor quality of life.
The fact is Florida is only going to get hotter and hotter and is going to continue to get blasted by hurricanes on a regular basis. Insurance companies have pulled out of the state in droves which means, once an area gets hit, there isn’t going to be the money available ti rebuild it in a timely fashion. But if you want to believe that “hey, we have a lot of people though” changes these facts, knock yourself out.
As an old professor used to say sarcastically, "a million flies can't be wrong".
This year, we chose the LA area theme parks over the Orlando area theme parks. We definitely preferred the California weather and the vibe more than Orlando. In California, it's great to beat the heat simply by sitting in the shade with a gentle breeze. Also, the parks have more locals, which makes for a relaxed vibe. Orlando tends to have more tourists who are a little on edge because they are trying too hard to get the most out of their experience. The Florida humidity is also inescapable if you're outdoors.
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Let's talk about that weather excuse.
We are getting past the point where what we experienced last summer in Orlando and other southern markets can be considered "unusual." This is the new normal for summer weather in southern markets, and it's likely only going to get worse.
So it is foolhardy for parks to believe that investors and analysts will write off this summer's declining attendance as a one-off and look forward to better, more "normal" weather in 2024 and beyond. A more appropriate analysis should be that SeaWorld (and other parks!) have failed to properly adjust their pricing and operation to accommodate a changing climate in the markets where they do business.
Weather guarantees are nice for accommodating variable weather - rain or heat one day but pleasant the next. They do nothing to help a park located in a market where the heat is unbearable outside for weeks on end. Deep discounting might help, but ultimately, a park in these locations needs a different approach toward its capital investments. More shade structures are a barely acceptable stop-gap. Ultimately, parks need to transition toward more indoor attractions and indoor waiting areas for large outdoor rides such as roller coasters and flumes.