ORLANDO, Fla. — After months of many employees being on unpaid furlough and financial reports showing a 96 percent drop in revenue and attendance, SeaWorld Entertainment said some of its furloughed workers will be permanently laid off.
The company made the announcement in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday afternoon, which was posted on SeaWorld's investor relations website.
The Orlando-based company said it has "committed to a plan of termination, primarily impacting some of the Company's currently furloughed employees."
SeaWorld said the employees were furloughed as part of the company's efforts to combat the financial hits brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent theme park closures. SeaWorld said the layoffs will impact certain park and corporate employees.
SeaWorld spokeswoman Lori Cherry sent the following statement on behalf of the company:
“The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on each of our lives, in ways both small and profound. The same is true for the travel, tourism, entertainment, and hospitality industries, and the operations of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc.
While we were able to bring thousands of furloughed Ambassadors back to work and hoped to bring back everyone, the current environment requires us to setup the company for long term success. SeaWorld has determined that it must transition certain park and corporate personnel from a furloughed status to a permanent layoff.
We deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication of our Ambassadors to our company’s shared mission, values, and goals. Over our 60-year history, our parks have inspired millions of guests to love, protect and care for our planet’s animals and their habitats. We are sorry to have to part ways with any team members in this difficult moment, but their abiding commitment to our guests, fellow Ambassadors and animals is recognized and made a lasting impact.”
Cherry also confirmed that the permanent layoffs will impact some employees furloughed from Busch Gardens in Tampa.
In its last quarterly earnings call, SeaWorld Entertainment said revenue and attendance had dropped a whopping 96 percent compared with the same period last year. The biggest financial hits came in April, May and June, the months when the company's theme parks were mostly closed because of the pandemic.
During those months, the company said it had a net loss of $131 million across its 12 parks.
SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reopened June 10. The company also said any rides currently under construction now have delayed openings until 2021.
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