The good news from SeaWorld this week is also good news for San Diego because of its impact on tourism and our local economy.
While SeaWorld announced a 15 percent increase in attendance and almost a 17 percent increase in revenue during the first quarter at all of its parks, the news was even better for San Diego’s SeaWorld park.
The San Diego Union Tribune reported that while SeaWorld does not break out attendance for each of its parks, lease payments by SeaWorld to the city of San Diego indicate a significant jump in revenue at the park on Mission Bay, going up some 30 percent during the first quarter compared to a year earlier.
And with the stock price going up by 7 percent as a result of the first quarter report, that’s good news for a lot of San Diegans who own stock in a company responsible for such an important property in their home town.
All of this is a sign that the dark cloud from Blackfish that has hung over SeaWorld San Diego since the release of the one-sided documentary back in 2013 is finally dissipating.
The changes made to the killer whale show and the decision not to breed orcas in captivity any longer have helped but so has SeaWorld’s continued work to get the word out about how many marine mammals it rescues and saves each year.
We know about it because we live here but even more people need to know that SeaWorld is about saving and caring for animals, not hurting them.
Photo of SeaWorld Marine Mammal Rescue Team (Getty Images)