Nearly 96,000 people visited Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium this holiday season bringing the zoo’s total attendance for 2009 to 624,595 people, the highest in more than a decade.
The zoo’s sister facility, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, had its second highest attendance in the past 10 years with 189,712 visitors in 2009.
“In a time of cutting back and reassessing priorities, families have shown that they still value spending time together,” said Gary Geddes, director of zoological and environmental education for Metro Parks Tacoma. “The zoo and Northwest Trek offer unique experiences that people of many generations can enjoy.”
The zoo’s annual holiday festival, Zoolights, also had its highest attendance of the decade with 95,676 people, surpassing the eventâs 20th anniversary attendance in 2007.
“Zoolights really pushed us over the top,” Geddes said. “After a difficult year, local families were looking for an inexpensive, but brilliant way to celebrate. And you just canât beat the dazzling atmosphere of Zoolights.”
