A new "hands-on" aquarium, SeaQuest, is scheduled to open at Las Vegas's Boulevard Mall in November. The 31,000-square-foot facility will feature themed zones, including the Amazon Rainforest, California Coast, Shark Lagoon, Caribbean Cove, Egyptian Desert and a Pirate Ship. Bird and reptile exhibits will complement the collection of 1,500 marine animals. Apologies if this has been reported elsewhere. News article (29/08/16): Sea Quest Aquarium set for fall opening at Boulevard Mall | Las Vegas Review-Journal Website: Seaquest Aquarium - Las Vegas
Another aquarium seems like a rather bizarre choice as Las Vegas already has a very good AZA-accredited aquarium with Shark Reef and several other marine animal attractions (the dolphins at the Mirage, large aquatic habitats at the Mirage and Caesar's). Hopefully they have done some market research.
This is located away from The Strip. All (and I mean 100 percent) of the photos on the website show children. There is also a large banner advertising it as a venue for birthday parties. A tagline says "it's a splash of adventure for families and kids of all ages." The casino aquarium on The Strip is clearly marketed at (mostly adult) tourists. This aquarium is clearly marketed at local (non tourist) families. So I think they have done market research and considering how little there is for local families to do in the city, it should be a win.
This is surprising news! I realize that this new Las Vegas aquarium is not another Sea Life facility, but just for the sake of comparison here is a list of the square footage of the 8 Sea Life locations in the USA. At 31,00 sq. ft., the new Seaquest Aquarium will obviously not be a very large establishment. Shark Reef Aquarium, the AZA-accredited facility in Las Vegas, is 95,000 sq. ft. and thus more than triple the size of its future competitor and in truth even Shark Reef does not take very long to tour. Other than the very impressive shark tunnel tank, the rest of the place can be toured in 45 minutes. Sea Life Aquariums in the USA: Minnesota Sea Life – MN = 70,000 sq. ft. Grapevine Sea Life – TX = 45,000 sq. ft. Carlsbad Sea Life – CA = 36,000 sq. ft. Charlotte/Concord Sea Life – NC = 36,000 sq. ft. Michigan Sea Life – MI = 35,000 sq. ft. Kansas City Sea Life – MO = 28,000 sq. ft. Arizona Sea Life – AZ = 26,000 sq. ft. Orlando Sea Life – FL = 25,000 sq. ft.
Yes, the project's clearly aimed at increasing visitation and stay-time at the mall, eg. by offering a babysitting service to shoppers, rather than intended to be a major attraction in its own right. A smart strategy I think, given the ease and cheapness of online shopping.
