Attendance Off at Sea World, but All’s Well
Every hour on the hour during the business day, an electronic beeper gives an attendance update to Sea World of California President Jan Schultz.
But the beeper, which registered a record 3.1 million visitors in 1985, has slowed a bit this year because of a spurt of rainy spring weather, increased advertising by other Southern California theme and amusement parks, and competition from the World’s Fair in Vancouver, B.C.
Schultz acknowledged that Sea World will be hard pressed to top last year’s record but he maintained that an ongoing $22-million construction program will give the park a competitive edge in a theme and amusement park industry that is growing increasingly competitive.
Perhaps the most obvious result of that rebuilding program is “City Streets,” a decidedly non-marine salute to “summer in the city” that already is the park’s third most popular attraction, lagging behind only perennial favorites Shamu and the seal and otter show.
The $1.5-million neighborhood setting, reminiscent of a New York neighborhood street scene, was built by a Hollywood set designer. During a recent performance, the show featured a solo saxophonist, hard-rock skateboarders, disco dancers, tumbling gymnasts, a “fat and jolly” policeman and a pair of stunt bicyclists.
Even though the Hollywood set lacks the grit and sweat that flavors bona fide New York City neighborhoods, the performers nonetheless deliver hard-charging performances: during one recent show, the audience was stunned when a bicyclist missed a trick, broke at least one bone and was carried off the set in an ambulance.
The accident unintentionally underscored Schultz’s plan to make “City Streets” more than a predictable, one-time only attraction.
“We can move acts in and move them out as we see fit,” said Schultz, who became president in June following a reorganization that reassigned George Becker to oversee construction of Sea World’s new Texas park. “The way it’s structured, Al Hirt could walk through playing his horn.”
Early research, added Schultz, backs management’s belief that the show appeals to all ages. The park remains 85% marine-oriented, said Schultz, and so management continues to direct the bulk of its capital spending on showcasing and supporting its killer whales, porpoises and penguins.
The current $22-million construction program includes a new $12-million-dollar, 7-million-gallon Shamu Stadium to replace the existing 1.25-million-gallon stadium, and $3 million for new holding tanks, veterinary medicine laboratories and support facilities that the public will never see.
Mirroring activity at other Southern California entertainment and theme parks, Sea World has been broadening its offerings to keep attendance figures rising.
In addition to staging its annual “snow bowl,” Sea World plans to celebrate the winter holidays by opening a new $2.2-million front gate to replace the structure built in 1964.
Just past the new gate, Sea World will borrow a page from its Florida counterpart and open a “Parent’s Store” filled with educational toys and games, and a one-acre “map” of the U.S., complete with water-filled Great Lakes and an ice skating rink shaped like the State of Alaska. The map will identify cities with populations of more than 100,000 and include a host of other attractions aimed at youngsters.
Sea World recently opened a 4,800-seat “Nautilus Bowl” that already has hosted weekend concerts by the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and several rock bands, and features a nightly laser show that is set to rock music.
The park will get a chance to further expand its offerings after the new Shamu Stadium opens and an existing dolphin show is moved into the older stadium, freeing space on the park’s western end for a major--but so far unidentified--attraction.
That new attraction could borrow from the new shows that Sea World has created to attract audiences at Cypress Gardens and Circus World, a pair of Florida attractions that Sea World acquired last year.
Not incidentally, Schultz spent the better part of the past year in Florida helping to reformulate Cypress Gardens’ aging water shows.
Sea World isn’t the only park that is broadening its appeal, however.
In a move aimed at bolstering teen attendance, Disneyland last year added “Videopolis,” a teen-age dance attraction, and on Sept. 19 will debut “Captain Eo,” a $17-million Michael Jackson video attraction. In January, the park will unveil a George Lucas-created “Star Tours” attraction.
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park recently added a million-dollar, 1,200-seat marine stadium that, up to 10 times daily, features dolphin and “Diving Doggie” shows. Knott’s officials suggest that the stadium was designed to host everything from swim shows to diving competitions and aquatic dancing.
Porpoise shows at Magic Mountain, teen attractions at fantasy-oriented Disneyland and Sea World’s urban entertainment might seem incongruous, but the parks are “enhancing their base by adding new elements that will broaden and increase attendance,” said Dave Schmidt, a Tustin-based amusement park industry consultant.
“What the parks are doing makes a lot of sense,” Schmidt said. “Look at what Disney did with Videopolis. They segmented the teen market and made a statement that they’re broadening their appeal.”
Schultz is aware of the potential that can be generated by segmenting: “We’re trying to appeal to the broadest (audience) possible,” said Schultz. On recent consecutive nights, he said, the new Nautilus Bowl featured chamber music and a rock concert sponsored by a local hard-rock radio station.
Change also has been evident at the Atlantis, Sea World’s Mission Bay restaurant. In addition to “improving the quality of food served at the restaurant,” Sea World has added jazz performances, said Shultz.
The restaurant may also add exterior lighting to make it more attractive to nighttime diners, Shultz said.
Annual Attendance at Sea World of San Diego
1964: 400,000
1967: 1 million
1976: 2.1 million
1984: 2.9 million
1985: 3.1 million
1986: (through Aug. 3) 1.8 million, down 5.6% from last year.
Sea World attracted 400,000 visitors during its first year. In 1967, a million visitors pushed through park turnstiles, and in 1976, park attendance hit 2 million. Park officials were disappointed in 1984, however, when an Olympic backlash kept attendance from topping 3 million. Last year the park rebounded, attracting more than 3 million visitors. However, rainy spring weather, competition from Los Angeles theme parks and the Expo in Vancouver have kept the park from matching last year’s record-setting pace. Since 1964, Shamu and friends have attracted 45 million visitors to the San Diego marine park on Mission Bay.
