They’ve done this before in 2020, when they kept rides closed during the pandemic to take advantage of a local loophole. Zoos were allowed to operate but not parks.
If they could have rides open they would, especially with the kid’s area at the front of the park receiving 90% of their attendance. It can get deceptively crowded there, so might be an issue of them not having caught up on offseason maintenance in anticipation of a sale.
Curiously enough however Penguin Palace of all exhibits and their main restaurant will remain shut, which may suggest a huge operating budget cut this year.
Whoever bought it is staying under wraps for now. Execs from the local developers have all signed NDA’s on who the culprit is, which is suggesting that a regional player has come in as opposed to an international group. If someone was investing from abroad they’d be less tight lipped. It is NOT however Thundering Waters, a Chinese real estate with the nearby golf course who was the frontrunner last year and whom I did some consulting for.
I visited the park last May for the first time in more than a decade, having foreseen the shutdown this year. After years of waiting and for better or worse, something is finally about to give here… now what does the future hold?!?