Saint Louis Zoo breaks attendance record

St. Louis Business Journal – by Kelsey Volkmann

The Saint Louis Zoo has achieved its highest annual attendance ever, and the year isn’t over yet.

As of Wednesday, the zoo had 3,065,554 visitors this year, breaking a previous record set in 2004 with 3,025,816 visitors. This year’s attendance is up 3 percent from 2,988,058 visitors in 2008.

Zoo President and Chief Executive Jeffrey Bonner offered several reasons for the spike: beautiful summer weather, a popular stingray exhibit and a recession that encouraged a lot of families to take “staycations” to save money. Attendance at other popular St. Louis destinations was also up this year.

In 2009, 65 percent of zoo visitors were local and 35 percent were from out of town. Four years ago, 55 percent were local and 45 percent non-local.

In the last 12 months, 52 percent of St. Louis residents visited the zoo in the last 12 months, compared with the next highest area attraction, a St. Louis Cardinals game at 50 percent, according to Arbitron/Scarborough research.

To celebrate breaking its attendance record, the zoo plans to offer free admission to its Emerson Children’s Zoo from Dec. 26-31.

The zoo’s 2009 operating budget was $47.1 million.

Similar Posts:

• Nashville Zoo Attendance Soars
• Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Shatters Attendance Record
• Akron Zoo sets attendance record for sixth year
• Nashville Zoo attendance hits all-time high in 2009
• Oregon Zoo breaks attendance record