ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) – The NC Zoo Council voted this week to approve an increase in the cost of gate admission to the North Carolina Zoo, which could start as soon as next month.
The N.C. Zoo Council, a 15-member board appointed by the governor to oversee the operation and development of the Zoo, held their planned meeting virtually on February 8th, 2023, where they voted to approve an increase in ticket prices as well as other changes.
At the meeting, N.C. Zoo Director Pat Simmions presented the Zoo’s 2023 Fee Proposal, explaining that the “Zoo’s funding comes 50% from the State with the other 50% from gate ticket sales,” Simmions went on to tell the members that the cost of running the Zoo has gone up over the years but revenue from ticket sales has not grown to match.
The North Carolina Zoo last increased the gate price in 2015, from $12 to where prices sit now at $15. An increase from $15 to $17 was considered in 2020, which the council members voted to approve, but the pandemic delayed any changes from being implemented.
Council members had floated the idea of experimenting with surge pricing, where gate prices would increase with demand, but Zoo officials rejected the idea due to limitations in their current software. However, Zoo officials are looking into an upgrade in the future and the council noted the idea may come back up at a future meeting.
Council members floated several ideas including higher prices for out-of-state guests as well as discounts for in-state guests.
The North Carolina Zoo’s proposal, which was approved, increases the in-person ticket prices by $5, from current $15 to $20 for adult admission, and recommends a new lower seasonal rate to accommodate for the fact that many African animals are off habitat, or have access to their night quarters, during the colder winter months.
Zoo Council Chairman Walker Moffit pointed out that the new proposed $20 price brings the Zoo’s ticket price more in-line with other local attractions like the Greensboro Science Center, whose ticket price is currently $19.50.
To incentivize online sales, which currently tracks at around 21% of sales, Zoo officials have considered a lower fee for online ticket sales.
The Zoo is also requesting a fee increase for its ropes course, Air Hike. With the increase in wages for seasonal staff, the Zoo is recommending an increase from $15 to $18 to offset the increase in staff wages. No price increases were proposed for other attractions were announced.
It’s not all price increases though; new this year there is a proposal to offer a highly discounted rate for holders of EBT cards (electronic benefit cards, also known as food-stamps). This will make it easier for low-income and economically disadvantaged populations to enjoy a day at the Zoo for a flat, year-round rate of $5 per person (extended up to six people with the EBT card holder). According to the Zoo, this proposal aligns with the Zoo and N.C. DNCR’s mission to remove barriers for access and Inclusion.
At the Zoo on Thursday a reporter with Acme News spoke with several guests and most expressed displeasure if prices were to go up. “The price of everything is going up, so I guess you have to expect it,” said the father or a family visiting from out of state. One local guest said that he found it strange the Zoo was citing a deficit when it had just raised $100 million for Asia and said that he thought Zoo prices should be lower since visiting the Zoo is already a gamble between the weather, exhibits being closed, and getting to see the animal you want.
The approved proposal now goes to the NC Dept of Natural and Cultural Resources which oversees the Zoo for a final decision. If approved, the Zoo says it would be ideal for the rate increase to be in place by March 15, 2023, for the start of the peak season.
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