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 hosted a combined total of approximately 23.5 million guests, making it the fifth-largest amusement park operator in the world. However, 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. However, if the 2007 report's original estimates are used, attendance actually rose by 100,000 visitors.
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