TAMPA -- Busch Gardens has raised daily admission by $2 but cut back the price of its tickets for Florida residents after a down year in attendance.
The Tampa theme park raised pre-tax daily admission prices Monday to $55.95 for adults, $45.95 for children 3 to 9.
The park also raised the price of its Fun Card, good for unlimited visits for one year, by $2 to $61.95 for adults, $51.95 for children.
Despite the increase, Busch Gardens still sits below the Orlando-area theme parks in terms of daily ticket prices.
Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando all announced increases to $59.75 before taxes for a single-day adult ticket.
Meanwhile, the new Busch Gardens discount for Florida residents is $49.50 for adults, the park's lowest in three years. The new ticket can only be bought online. Buyers must include a Florida mailing address to buy one and display a Florida photo ID with a Florida address at the park gate.
Busch gets more than half its traffic from local residents, while that figure is less than a quarter for the Orlando parks.
Busch attendance was down 4 percent in 2004. Park officials partly blamed hurricanes, which closed the park for four days and put a damper on fall tourism.
The Tampa theme park raised pre-tax daily admission prices Monday to $55.95 for adults, $45.95 for children 3 to 9.
The park also raised the price of its Fun Card, good for unlimited visits for one year, by $2 to $61.95 for adults, $51.95 for children.
Despite the increase, Busch Gardens still sits below the Orlando-area theme parks in terms of daily ticket prices.
Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando all announced increases to $59.75 before taxes for a single-day adult ticket.
Meanwhile, the new Busch Gardens discount for Florida residents is $49.50 for adults, the park's lowest in three years. The new ticket can only be bought online. Buyers must include a Florida mailing address to buy one and display a Florida photo ID with a Florida address at the park gate.
Busch gets more than half its traffic from local residents, while that figure is less than a quarter for the Orlando parks.
Busch attendance was down 4 percent in 2004. Park officials partly blamed hurricanes, which closed the park for four days and put a damper on fall tourism.
