The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Will Seaworld San Diego ever get back to its peak?
The park hit a peak attendance of nearly 4.6 million in 2013, but it's never come close to reaching that level again
Seaworld, which has experienced a lot of ups and downs over the years, is in the midst of celebrating its 60th anniversary at its San Diego location. The park hit a peak attendance
Q of nearly 4.6 million in Will Seaworld ever get 2013, but it’s never come close to back to its peak attendance reaching that level again. of more than a decade
Last year, the number of park ago? visitors totaled 3.4 million following a gradual rebound from the pandemic, although still falling short of the nearly 3.5 million who came to the park the year before COVID-19 hit.
The park’s Orlando, Floridabased parent company lost considerable ground after the 2013 release of the anti-captivity film “Blackfish,” which helped fuel falling attendance in San Diego. Like other amusement parks, it had a large drop in attendance during the pandemic and was shut down several times to stop the spread of the virus.
To turn the tide, Seaworld has been adding thrill rides at a fast pace — four coasters at the San Diego location in the past five years.
Economists
NO: Seaworld attendance fell 8% when COVID-19 hit in 2020 and is down an additional 5% since then. In part this could be due to public attitudes about animal captivity. But we see the same thing in other theme parks. Attendance at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023 was 14% lower than in 2019, and Six Flags is down 23%. The pandemic changed our behavior in many long-lasting ways. Crowds are less fun than they used to be. — James Hamilton , UC San Diego
YES: Extrapolating the slow upward trend, Seaworld will eventually surpass old attendance records. Despite the bad press from the movie “Blackfish,” Seaworld does an incredible job saving so many sea lions and other marine creatures from our coast, impacted by pollution, careless boaters and fishing lines, that they deserve our support. Perhaps they simply need a better storyteller to expound on the positive side of what they do beyond simply entertaining us with new thrill rides?
— Norm Miller, University of San Diego
NO: The release of the film “Blackfish” is likely to continue to restrain attendance growth. The lack of growth in the child population of California will be another factor holding back attendance at theme parks. Entertainment options have expanded in the region since 2013, including the Wave FC, the future San Diego FC, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Legion and the G League Clippers. Some residents and visitors will opt to attend sporting events rather than visit a theme park.
NO: Seaworld has been an amazing asset to the San Diego region for the past six decades. Much of the success of our tourism industry in the early years can be directly credited to Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo. However, evolving social views on the treatment of animals have diminished Seaworld’s appeal. The pivot from an aquarium/animal-themed park to an amusement park draws a completely different crowd.