United Parks & Resorts reported a softer third quarter on November 5, with fewer guests visiting its parks even as those who did come spent more per capita. The company said attendance fell to 6.47 million guests in the quarter, down 4.7% from the same period last year.
Revenue declined 1.1% to $506.5 million. Net income was $80.0 million, down 10.5%, while adjusted EBITDA fell 5.1% to $205.1 million.
Fewer guests, but higher spending
The attendance figure was the clearest pressure point in the report. United Parks attributed the drop primarily to unfavorable weather, calendar effects and lower international visitation. The company also pointed to a planned reduction in promotional admissions.
That did not mean every guest-spending metric moved in the same direction. Total revenue per capita increased 3.8%, helping to offset some of the attendance decline. In practical terms, the company brought in more revenue from the average guest, but not enough to fully make up for having fewer people through the gates.
The quarter provides a useful company-level backdrop for the attendance trends already visible across the industry. Behind the Splash previously examined the broader decline at several established U.S. parks, including the role tourism and international travel can play in those results.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announcement confirmed for IAAPA
The earnings release also included a new point of interest for the coming IAAPA Expo in Orlando. United Parks said Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will announce an upcoming attraction at the conference. The company did not identify the attraction or give further details in the release, so anything beyond that remains unconfirmed for now.
That confirmation adds weight to United Parks’ planned IAAPA presentation, which the company had already said would preview upcoming attractions and experiences. It also arrives alongside other 2027 projects named in the earnings release, including SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep at SeaWorld Orlando and Return to Corkscrew Hill at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
SEAQuest has already been reported as targeting a 2027 opening. United Parks’ latest filing does not change that window, but it places the project within the company’s current development pipeline as IAAPA approaches.
For Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the important distinction is straightforward: an IAAPA announcement is confirmed; the attraction itself has not yet been named. Behind the Splash will be watching for that reveal during the Expo.
Source: United Parks & Resorts’ third-quarter 2026 earnings release.
