SeaWorld Is Trying to Avoid Having Another Awful Year
Photo Credit: Riders are shown on the Manta roller coaster at a SeaWorld park. Parent company SeaWorld Entertainment reported that revenues, profits, and attendance fell in 2016. Flickr / Ted Murphy
Skift Take
SeaWorld has talked for nearly a year about how public perception of the company is improving. The trick seems to be turning that attitude into attendance.
By just about every measure, SeaWorld Entertainment had an epically bad 2016.
Attendance plunged, revenue dropped, and the previous year's profits fizzled into a loss. The lackluster results, released Tuesday, came as the Orlando-based theme park operator transitions away from its famous Shamu shows to "experiences that matter."
"We are intensifying our focus on execution," president and CEO Joel Manby said during a call with analysts. "With our brand evolution well underway, our full attention, energy, and resources are focused on running the business with maximum efficiency to generate improved results."
Last year's results were not an improvement from 2015. Attendance dropped by about 471,000 visitors to 22 million, largely due to declines in Florida. Revenue fell from $1.37 billion to $1.34 billion. And while SeaWorld reported $49 million in pr
