Will SeaWorld San Diego ever get back to peak attendance of 10 years ago?

By Phillip Molnar | San Diego Union-Tribune

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 of nearly 4.6 million in 2013, but it’s never come close to reaching that level again.

Last year, the number of park 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-based 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.

Q: Will SeaWorld ever get back to its peak attendance of more than a decade ago?

Economists

James Hamilton, UC San Diego

NO: SeaWorld attendance fell 8 percent when COVID-19 hit in 2020 and is down another 5 percent 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 percent lower than in 2019, and Six Flags is down 23 percent. The pandemic changed our behavior in many long-lasting ways. Crowds are less fun than they used to be.

Norm Miller, University of 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?

David Ely, San Diego State University

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.

Ray Major, SANDAG

NO: SeaWorld has been an amazing asset to the San Diego region for the last 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.

Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

NO: Young folks care more about treating marine animals humanely than seeing things in real life than previous generations. Why visit SeaWorld when you can interact virtually with marine life for free, from the comfort of home, without anything getting hurt? Pivoting to be more of an amusement park is one way to attract people, but Disneyland has more to offer. Unless SeaWorld reduces the entrance fee substantially, attendance is more likely to stagnate or decline.

Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research

YES: It is only a matter of time until attendance exceeds previous numbers. While inflation partially contributes to record revenue numbers, the park’s new attractions are successfully generating more interest. Theme parks necessarily require constant adjustment and reinvention of themselves to attract new and returning visitors. Community goodwill created by SeaWorld efforts to humanely house animals, as well as efforts to rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, helps restore positive perceptions while negative “Blackfish” impressions further fade.

Lynn Reaser, economist

NO: The film “Blackfish” did irreparable damage to SeaWorld’s attendance. Concerns that holding whales in captivity constitutes animal cruelty have spread beyond PETA to the public at large. Attempts to make the park into a more general entertainment venue such as by adding four roller coasters have only been partially successful. Last year’s 3.4 million visitors will be more the norm than the peak of 4.5 million.

Alan Gin, University of San Diego

NO: The impact of “Blackfish” will probably be permanent and will reduce the pool of potential customers for SeaWorld. The addition of thrill rides will help and will boost attendance, which should eventually rebound to at least the pre-pandemic levels. But a big part of the SeaWorld experience will remain sea life. While there is a significant market for that, there is less opportunity for repeat visits that drive attendance at parks such as Disneyland.

Executives

Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere

YES: With some additional work, it could happen. Adding more family-friendly rides and attractions should draw attendance from both residents and tourists. The presentations, like the Sea Lion and Otter Spotlight, are also entertaining. It will take continued capital expenditures and strategic marketing efforts to help regain lost market share and to reshape public opinion. From personal experience, management needs to focus more attention on customer relations to help attract and retain yearly membership holders.

Phil Blair, Manpower

NO: Not unless they upgrade their offerings and infrastructure. There is now a lot more completion from many other attractions in San Diego County that were not around 10 years ago. SeaWorld feels and looks tired and neglected. If it wants to become an amusement park, then it needs to focus on that area and be the best one around.

Gary London, London Moeder Advisors

NO: The killer whale problem is a residual negative for them. Many families haven’t returned. And the conversion to roller coaster park is probably insufficient to recapture lost patronage because most people value SeaWorld for the fish, not the thrill. It’s also quite expensive. Nevertheless, it remains a vital tourist destination and has a laudable sea life rescue program. It is likely to stabilize at these numbers for the foreseeable future.

Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates

YES: SeaWorld will enjoy a resurgence for its 60th anniversary year along with the return of tourism industry success in San Diego. The combination of thrill rides, animal education and a great location make SeaWorld a must-see attraction. San Diego already has excellent attractions, such as arts, sports, climate (yes, this winter aside, it is an attraction), food and beverage, and more. SeaWorld will thrive and did not deserve the negative publicity it received after “Blackfish.”

Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health

YES: Businesses do need to change with the times and SeaWorld certainly is trying to do so. While their master plan still calls for most of SeaWorld’s attractions to include significant animal conservation and/or education elements, they are weaving that in while continuing to add rides and attractions. Since San Diego does not have any large-scale amusement parks, expanding in this manner may be a viable way for SeaWorld to rebuild attendance volume.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.