Aquarium boasts 15 percent increase in attendance

MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — Mystic Aquarium , a top tourist attraction in southeastern Connecticut, is boasting a 15 percent increase in visitors this year compared to the first six months of 2011.

Aquarium officials tell The Day of New London they are on track to get about 700,000 visitors this year, which would be about 6 percent from a year ago.

Explorer Bob Ballard's $2 million Ocean Exploration Center and its new Titanic exhibit, which was created by a former Disney designer, opened at the aquarium in April.

Ed Dombroskas, the executive director of Mystic Country , the state's Eastern Regional Tourism District, says Mystic Seaport has seen a slight increase in tourism. He says other attractions in the region, such as the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat , have seen flat attendance.

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Information from: The Day