United Parks: SeaWorld attendance, revenue dip in 1st quarter

[Disney4me]

Attendance and revenue were down for the first quarter at United Parks & Resorts theme parks, but company executives remain optimistic for a record-setting 2025 at SeaWorld Orlando and its sister attractions.

United’s theme parks reported 3.4 million guests in the quarter, a decrease of 1.7% from a year earlier, and revenue was $286.9 million, a drop of 3.5%. This was attributed partly to the calendar years having Easter, a notable travel period, in the second quarter of 2025 but in the first quarter of 2024.

United CEO Marc Swanson said attendance for April, part of the company’s fiscal second quarter, was up 8.1% compared with April 2024.

“We are also encouraged by the 2025 bookings for our Discovery Cove property, our 2025 group bookings and our 2025 international ticket sales, all of which are running ahead of 2024,” Swanson said.

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New and upcoming attractions at United Parks include Wild Oasis, a new realm at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay; the Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg; the 45th birthday celebration for Sesame Place in Philadelphia; and Rescue Jr., a kid-driven area at SeaWorld San Antonio.  SeaWorld Orlando opened Expedition Odyssey, a wide-screen attraction tied to Arctic scenes and animals, earlier this month.

United Parks & Resorts, based in Orlando. operates 13 attractions in the United States and Abu Dhabi.

In an conference call with market analysts this week, Swanson mentioned the company’s land holdings.

“We own over 2,000 acres in valuable real estate in desirable locations, including approximately 400 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to our parks, including significant development land in Orlando,” he said. “We continue to have discussions with various potential partners as we explore ways to unlock the value of this very valuable real estate.”

There are several options for the land, he said, listing off the possibilities of hotels, housing, rides and/or attractions.

“We just want to make sure that we get into the best structure that is best for our shareholders and best for the company,” Swanson said.

The second quarter will include the grand opening of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme a few miles away from SeaWorld Orlando as well as the expectation of continued travel and trade uncertainty. Epic debuts May 22.

“We believe having Epic in town is going to bring more people to Orlando. … And we like the idea of a compelling and good assets coming to the area,” Swanson said. “So we need to take advantage of that. We view that as an opportunity, and something we’ve been working on for some time to do that, obviously. And we have our own strategies.”

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Swanson said 90% of park visitors live in the U.S., mostly folks who are within driving distance of the attraction. United doesn’t emphasize international attendance, he said.

“As that market perhaps softens like a lot of people have been saying, you know — not ideal. … But I don’t think it has as big of an impact for us,” Swanson said.

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