The Perfect Day


Te last section of our survey may have been our most fascinating. We carefully crafted detailed stories that described different day-long experiences at zoos and aquariums, and integrated subtle differences throughout each experience. We then followed up with a series of questions that picked apart the elements to understand which aspects would have the greatest positive impact of their perception of their favorite zoo or aquarium.


All of the tested aspects dealt with different ways to practice and communicate conservation at different opportunities across a destination, and the following are the favorite events of our respondents.


EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS 36% of respondents favored: “When zoos or aquariums bring animals to offices, school classrooms, and daycares to talk about how they take action every day to save them.”


MAMMAL INTERACTIONS 44% of respondents favored: “I got to go out on a boat to see wild dolphins in their natural habitat.”


DAY-LONG EXPERIENCES 57% of respondents favored: “I got to see behind the scenes where the aquarium cares for rescued sea turtles and prepares hatchlings and adults to release them back into the ocean.”


MAJOR ATTRACTIONS 59% of respondents favored: “I spent an hour exploring the veterinary center where the zoo cares for its animals, and animals that sometimes come in from the wild that need rehabilitation”


MAJOR CHANGES 32% of respondents favored: “I don’t believe a major change is needed.”


INTERPRETIVES 77% of respondents favored “I watched a team of Keepers work with an animal to do a wellness check-up”


NON-TRADITIONAL EXPERIENCES 54% of respondents favored: “I rode an indoor ride with my whole family that took us through the deep jungle forest facing deforestation in search of orangutans. We actually saw orangutans at the end!”


NON-EXPERIENCES 58% of respondents favored: “Te ticket attendant told me that 25% of my ticket price goes directly to conservation projects outside of the aquarium.”


Overwhelmingly, consumers preferred interactive experiences with animals and keepers, rather than passive options such as news stories, social media (sorry PR departments), or talking with their friends and families about conservation.


By understanding guests’ current perceptions and matching them with the achievable elements they most want to see, zoos and aquariums become even more effective, trustworthy, celebrated heroes of animal welfare and conservation.


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