UtahBusiness.com

The Living Planet Aquarium received 457,619 visits in 2012, the most it has had since it opened in 2004. This is an increase of 14 percent from the previous record, 392,135 in 2010.

The year also gave The Living Planet the highest annual percentage increase among all aquariums in the United States in 2012. General admission attendance includes school visits, birthday parties and special event rentals.

“The Living Planet Aquarium had a terrific January and February after unveiling the river otter exhibit, with over 98,000 visits, which is more than 39 percent higher than the prior year,” said Angie Hyde, the aquarium’s director of public relations and marketing. “We also broke our prior 2010 summertime record of 114,970 with 124,852 visits in 2012.”

The Living Planet Aquarium plans to move to a new, larger location at 12033 S Lone Peak Parkway in Draper in December. It will offer expanded educational programs, field trips and hands-on learning.