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SeaWorld announces major new "Ocean Explorer" attraction

But will Ocean Explorer be enough to turn around sagging attendance numbers?

John Carroll, THE CW6 SAN DIEGO

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

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“It’s a good sign that SeaWorld is continuing to invest in the property,” said Erik Bruvold of National University’s Institute For Policy Research. Bruvold is an expert on theme parks and if you sensed a “but” coming in that last sentence, you’re right. “It isn’t clear to me that it’s the kind of attraction that’s necessarily going to dramatically increase attendance,” Bruvold said.
Bruvold made clear he was not dissing Ocean Explorer. He said at the very least it should keep season tickets holders happy. The problem for SeaWorld, he said, is what their competition is doing just up the road. “Next year, Universal will open the new Harry Potter themed land at Universal Hollywood… Two to three years from now, Disney’s gonna be opening what I think, 11-acres I wanna say is the new Star Wars attraction,” he said.