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United Parks & Resorts
United Parks & Resorts Inc. (formerly SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. or SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment) is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates twelve recreational destinations in the United States, including eight theme parks and four water parks. Notable brands within its portfolio include SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. In May 2018, Themed Entertainment Association and the global management firm AECOM reported that the then SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, operating under its previous name, ranked ninth in the world for attendance among theme park companies, led by parks SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
The Busch Gardens division was incorporated in 1979 as Busch Entertainment Corporation to support its growth. That growth came the next year, with its Williamsburg location adding Italy to its culture roster plus add two whole parks. Next to the Tampa Busch Gardens, the Adventure Island Water Park opened in June.
Meanwhile, in July 1980, the Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, jointly planned with the Children's Television Workshop and based on Sesame Street, opened. A second Sesame Place was opened in Irving, Texas, in June 1982 only to close a few years later on October 28, 1984; Busch Entertainment announced in January 1985 that the park would not open as scheduled in May as revenue and attendance were not as expected.
In September 1989, Busch Entertainment purchased Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Park Group which included Boardwalk and Baseball, Cypress Gardens and the SeaWorld theme park chain. The Boardwalk and Baseball theme park was closed on January 17, 1990. The Baseball City Stadium would continue its operations, while the park and stadium were up for sale. Busch acquired a tenth park, Water Country USA in 1992, which was near its existing Williamsburg location. In 1993, the company hit its record high attendance for all its parks with over 19 million people with a record setting year for Tampa Busch Gardens. In 1995, Cypress Gardens was sold to the park's management.
Busch Entertainment announced in November 1992 its joint venture with Grand Tibidabo to build Tibi Gardens in Salou, Catalonia, Spain with other adjunct developments. By the park's May 1, 1995, opening, Grand Tibidabo was replaced by Tussauds Group, Fecsa and La Caixa as partners and renamed Port Aventura. Universal Destinations & Experiences purchase some share in 1998.
The company's marketing program of a regional Florida Fun Cards season pass was launched in 2000. These pass were good for seven-months at the cost of a single admission. Being successful, the program was extended to all its parks. This was followed up in 2001 with a tiered reward card called Passport with four levels named after metals. This program gain additional contact information for its marketing database. The additional marketing the database allowed plus the two program, local pass and reward card, allowed them to stay afloat during the economic downturn that started in 2001.
In 1999, close to 200 acres of rural land was purchased by Busch Gardens Tampa so that animals could be relocated during construction of a new hotel, which ended up never being built. In early 2001, the company sold the Aurora SeaWorld to Six Flags, while the first reservations-only park, Discovery Cove, opened next to Orlando SeaWorld. Beginning November 9, 2007, the parks collectively became known as Worlds of Discovery. Prior to the introduction of the Worlds of Discovery brand, the parks were marketed as Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. A new price plan came along with the new name, where purchasing tickets to multiple parks would get a discount. Sesame Street Bay of Play opened in 2008 at SeaWorld San Diego.
Busch Entertainment promoted a number of SeaWorld Orlando executives to corporate ending with the promotion of Orlando executive vice president and general manager Jim Atchison to Busch president and chief operating officer and chairman and president Keith M. Kasen to Busch chairman and chief executive officer on December 1, 2007. With so many executives promoted and staying in Orlando, Anheuser-Busch Cos moved the entertainment unit's headquarters to Orlando in 2008. By this time, SeaWorld Orlando was seen as the company's flagship theme park.
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United Parks & Resorts
United Parks & Resorts Inc. (formerly SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. or SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment) is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates twelve recreational destinations in the United States, including eight theme parks and four water parks. Notable brands within its portfolio include SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. In May 2018, Themed Entertainment Association and the global management firm AECOM reported that the then SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, operating under its previous name, ranked ninth in the world for attendance among theme park companies, led by parks SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
The Busch Gardens division was incorporated in 1979 as Busch Entertainment Corporation to support its growth. That growth came the next year, with its Williamsburg location adding Italy to its culture roster plus add two whole parks. Next to the Tampa Busch Gardens, the Adventure Island Water Park opened in June.
Meanwhile, in July 1980, the Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, jointly planned with the Children's Television Workshop and based on Sesame Street, opened. A second Sesame Place was opened in Irving, Texas, in June 1982 only to close a few years later on October 28, 1984; Busch Entertainment announced in January 1985 that the park would not open as scheduled in May as revenue and attendance were not as expected.
In September 1989, Busch Entertainment purchased Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Park Group which included Boardwalk and Baseball, Cypress Gardens and the SeaWorld theme park chain. The Boardwalk and Baseball theme park was closed on January 17, 1990. The Baseball City Stadium would continue its operations, while the park and stadium were up for sale. Busch acquired a tenth park, Water Country USA in 1992, which was near its existing Williamsburg location. In 1993, the company hit its record high attendance for all its parks with over 19 million people with a record setting year for Tampa Busch Gardens. In 1995, Cypress Gardens was sold to the park's management.
Busch Entertainment announced in November 1992 its joint venture with Grand Tibidabo to build Tibi Gardens in Salou, Catalonia, Spain with other adjunct developments. By the park's May 1, 1995, opening, Grand Tibidabo was replaced by Tussauds Group, Fecsa and La Caixa as partners and renamed Port Aventura. Universal Destinations & Experiences purchase some share in 1998.
The company's marketing program of a regional Florida Fun Cards season pass was launched in 2000. These pass were good for seven-months at the cost of a single admission. Being successful, the program was extended to all its parks. This was followed up in 2001 with a tiered reward card called Passport with four levels named after metals. This program gain additional contact information for its marketing database. The additional marketing the database allowed plus the two program, local pass and reward card, allowed them to stay afloat during the economic downturn that started in 2001.
In 1999, close to 200 acres of rural land was purchased by Busch Gardens Tampa so that animals could be relocated during construction of a new hotel, which ended up never being built. In early 2001, the company sold the Aurora SeaWorld to Six Flags, while the first reservations-only park, Discovery Cove, opened next to Orlando SeaWorld. Beginning November 9, 2007, the parks collectively became known as Worlds of Discovery. Prior to the introduction of the Worlds of Discovery brand, the parks were marketed as Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. A new price plan came along with the new name, where purchasing tickets to multiple parks would get a discount. Sesame Street Bay of Play opened in 2008 at SeaWorld San Diego.
Busch Entertainment promoted a number of SeaWorld Orlando executives to corporate ending with the promotion of Orlando executive vice president and general manager Jim Atchison to Busch president and chief operating officer and chairman and president Keith M. Kasen to Busch chairman and chief executive officer on December 1, 2007. With so many executives promoted and staying in Orlando, Anheuser-Busch Cos moved the entertainment unit's headquarters to Orlando in 2008. By this time, SeaWorld Orlando was seen as the company's flagship theme park.
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