The Idea Of Moving Away From Animal Exhibits Is In The Best Interest Of SeaWorld And Busch Gardens

SeaWorld has had a resurgence over the last few years. The Blackfish scandal, which rocked the park’s reputation, has finally seemed to settle down. What we’ve seen from SeaWorld and Busch Gardens (also owned by SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.), is a big emphasis on the thrill rides. Could it be the parks (especially SeaWorld) are shying away from animals being their main drawing power?

With SeaWorld Orlando featuring three top-notch coasters with Kraken (floorless), Manta (flyer), and Mako (hyper), the animal exhibits have taken a back seat. It’s the same at other SeaWorld parks as well. San Diego has three, Electric Eel ( Sky Rocket II), and Manta (launch), and Journey To Atlantis (water coaster). San Antonio also features five, Steel Eel (mega), Great White (inverted), Journey to Atlantis (water coaster), Wave Breaker (motorbike coaster), and Grovers Boxcar Derby (kids).

With all of these coasters in place, it makes sense that SeaWorld would continue to build more. That’s exactly what they are doing. San Diego will be getting Tidal Twister in 2019 (Skywarp), and Mako in 2020 (dive). San Antonio is building a wooden coaster for the 2020 season. And the rumor is, Orlando is getting a coaster similar to San Antonio’s Wave Breaker.

Does the commitment to more coasters mean SeaWorld wants to dedicate themselves less to animal exhibits? This is a pretty good bet. The coaster business has brought people to the parks. Less and less seem to go for the sea animals. If they are turning a profit because of thrill rides, why continue to offer more animal exhibits?

Of course, this is SeaWorld and the sea animals won’t go away. However, the number of thrill rides and coasters will go up. That’s the nature of the being a theme park. There’s only so much you can do with a zoo before guests start to get bored. Building unique coasters is a good way to attract enthusiasts.

We’ve seen the same strategy from Busch Gardens, who have spent more time on coasters than animal exhibits. That’s just where the money is for these parks. While the live animals aren’t the main attraction, it’s a nice change of pace from the thrill rides. Having a mix of both really helps the park, although, the real interest comes from the new experiences and rides.

We just saw SeaWorld Orlando unveil Sesame Street, the new kid’s area of the park, to rave reviews. This is one step they’ve taken to get more families into their parks. It’s not all about coasters bringing in the guests. If the sea animals aren’t as big of a draw, develop something that will be. That seems to be the SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. model right now.

Good for SeaWorld finding a strategy that works for them. The park has struggled for quite some time. If bringing in more thrill rides and experiences is the best way to go, then let it happen. The parks need a spark, and they’ve seemed to have found it.

Image Source: Sea World