SeaWorld says attendance, revenue up so far this year

ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. says attendance at its 12 parks is up 9 per cent for the year so far in a turnaround for a company that struggled after the release of a documentary critical of whale captivity five years ago.

The company said in a filing Tuesday that preliminary results show total attendance so far this year was up by 1.4 million visitors compared to the first three quarters of last year. Revenue is expected to be up by $90 million for the first three-quarters of 2018 compared to the same period last year.

SeaWorld released the preliminary results as part of a potential debt refinancing transaction and says the results need to be audited.

SeaWorld faced declining attendance and revenue in the years after the release of the documentary, “Blackfish.”