Sea World Parks & Entertainment
SeaWorld Entertainment (abbreviated SeaWorld and formerly Busch Entertainment and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment) is a family entertainment company owned by The Blackstone Group. SeaWorld is responsible for the operation and maintenance of eleven theme parks located throughout the United States. Formerly a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch since 1959, under which it was known as Busch Entertainment Corporation, SeaWorld Parks is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
In 2009, SeaWorld's properties had a combined total of approximately 23.5 million visitors, making it the fifth-largest amusement park operator in the world. Company officials have disputed this estimate in the past, as internal attendance figures, which they choose not to make public, reflect higher attendance than does the cited estimate. For the 2008 study, SeaWorld officials singled out the company's most-visited park, SeaWorld Orlando. The 2008 report estimated that 5.9 million people visited the park, a decrease of almost three percent year-over-year. If the 2007 report's original estimates are used, attendance rose by 100,000 visitors. After the release of the 2008 study, a spokesperson for SeaWorld voiced the company's continued displeasure with the study, saying, "They are wrong across the board."
In October 2009, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell the division to the Blackstone Group private-equity firm in order to reduce the debt load generated by InBev's 2008 purchase of Anheuser-Busch. The sale was completed on December 1, 2009 and with it came a new company name, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
Read more about Sea World Parks & Entertainment: History, Current Properties, Dubai Properties, Former Properties, See Also
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