Our hometown SeaWorld location pulled in about 4.6 million visitors in 2013, and employs anywhere from 2,500 to 4,500 people, depending on the season.
That’s not to mention the $14 million the park paid in rent to the city last year. All that adds up to a hefty economic footprint for our region — which, as you might recall, is why we started this Quest series in the first place.
READ MORE: That Time SeaWorld Tried to Slash Its Rent by 70 Percent
In this San Diego Explained, NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia and Voice of San Diego’s Lisa Halverstadt flesh out the various revenue sources streaming into the park, and the big looming question of what the documentary “Blackfish” could mean for SeaWorld’s future.
This is part of our Quest: SeaWorld series digging into the park’s impact on our region. Check out the previous story – SeaWorld’s Education Programs Benefit Students – and SeaWorld – and the next in our series – Why Some SeaWorld Opponents Still Love the Zoo.