Orlando’s SeaWorld Entertainment isn’t scheduled to issue its next quarterly report until Feb. 27, but it’s already told investors to expect an increase in attendance.
In a memo first released to employees and then included in a Jan. 7 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SeaWorld CEO Serge Rivera said he could “provide some context around our attendance numbers” to wrap up 2019.
“On a consolidated basis, we expect to report an increase in attendance of approximately 2% for the fourth quarter of 2019 when compared to the prior year quarter,” Rivera wrote. “During the quarter, many of our parks had some particularly strong attendance days, including some record days, which is exciting and we look forward to a productive 2020. Thank you to all our ambassadors for your help during the year and especially this past quarter.”
SeaWorld had enjoyed six straight quarters of year-over-year attendance growth before reported a 2.6 percent drop in the third quarter of 2019. That same day, Rivera was named as the company’s CEO, replacing Gus Antorcha, who resigned in September after just seven months on the job.
In 2020, SeaWorld is expecting to drive attendance in Central Florida with two new roller coasters: Ice Breaker, an Arctic-themed launch coaster at SeaWorld Orlando and Iron Gwazi, a record-setting hybrid coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
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