The SeaWorld parks are expected to reopen, starting with their San Antonio location, in Texas before their Orlando and San Diego parks. SeaWorld San Diego fans will have to wait for its sister parks to reopen first, according to a SeaWorld CEO Marc Swanson.
“Obviously, our number one priority is opening in a safe manner,” Swanson said on a conference call with analysts. “Our parks across the country will most likely open at different times. We’re not targeting to have one specific date for all our parks.”
The parks in the US remain temporarily closed amid the coronavirus outbreak, with no set dates for reopening as of yet. “Where we’re hopeful is in Texas,” Swanson said on the call. “We’ve got to get through the phases there obviously, but I think we have some hope that that might be one of the first locations that would open. Again, we don’t have a timeline and certainly things could change.”
SeaWorld Orlando is in the heart of the US theme park’s capital, alongside mega-resorts run by Disney and Universal. Fans of the parks are keen for them to reopen, but with social distancing measures in place. Disney are beginning the reopening of their attractions with Disney Springs and Downtown Disney.
California’s theme parks won’t be allowed to reopen for months, due to a plan laid out by Gov. Gavin Newsom, with a four-stage road map for reopening the state’s economy. The parks could possibly stay closed until a treatment for the virus is developed. “Politics will not drive our decision making. Protests will not drive our decision making. Political pressure will not drive our decision making,” Newsom said. “Science, data, and public health will drive our decision making.”
