Ocean-themed theme park franchise SeaWorld has been in a downward spiral for the last five years. Allegations of mistreatment toward the parks’ trademark orca whales and their trainers have taken their toll, and both attendance and revenue have been at an all-time low. In order to crawl out of this slump, SeaWorld has undergone some major re-branding, and so far, it seems to be working for them.
The franchise has taken care to remove all images and mentions of orca whales from both the parks themselves and their advertising in order to distance itself from the controversy. Additionally, multiple new attractions are being added to the parks, again with nothing to do with orcas. The new attractions across the parks include a ‘Sesame Street’-themed activity center, new roller coasters, new animal exhibits, and multiple water rides. Interim CEO John Reilly has been putting the company’s focus on new attractions, as well as special deals and cost cutting, all in the interest of restoring the visitor count and revenue the last few years has cost them. Reilly hopes that every park can receive at least one new attraction per year, though that will require meticulous planning and cost-cutting.
Reilly also wants to increase the emphasis on animal conservation in its attractions. In addition to its recent efforts to move the company’s remaining stable of orcas to reservations, he hopes this will ease some of the pressure that animal-rights activists have been putting on the company.
