THE opening of Bournemouth’s Oceanarium was one of the key events in efforts to rejuvenate the town’s seafront attractions in the late 1990s.

Now the business is set for one of the biggest developments in its 18-year history as a £1.5m expansion takes shape.

Before the end of the summer season, it should see the arrival of 10 penguins as the key attraction in an extension which will also include an outdoor terrace. The intention is not only to pull in more business but to change the perception of the Oceanarium as an attraction for rainy days only.

The Oceanarium opened in 1998 under a private company run by a former director of Sea Life.

After various changes in ownership, it was bought in 2007 - along with its sister attraction in the Lake Districts and Blackpool Zoo – by the Spanish company Parques Reunidos.

James Eels, who joined the Oceanarium in 2002, is now UK director for the company. He said a major expansion, made possible when Bournemouth council demolished the former base of the Westover Rowing Club, had been on the cards for around five years.

“We’ve reached capacity in our existing building. We can’t build a new display without taking out an existing one,” he said.

“I was very sure from day one that we didn’t want just to do more individual fish tanks. I was always sure if we did it, I wanted one major display as well as a medium sized display.

“We came up with penguins, not only because they’re extremely popular but also they’re really easy to keep and mainly because at the moment we’ve got aquatic fish, mammals, reptiles, but we don’t have birds, so it completed the set for us.

“Also I was sure whatever we did, we wanted to be outside to try to change the perception that we’re a wet weather attraction.”

“On wet days, we get to over-capacity and have to stop selling tickets,” he said.

“On days like today”, he added, on a warm but not hot half-term day, “we’re under capacity.”

A jellyfish exhibit will also be part of the expansion, while the addition of a play area and outdoor terrace will encourage people to stay longer.

“All visitor attractions have the same challenge – value for money. The vast majority of visitors will judge us by how long they spend at the experience,” said Mr Eels.

“People’s perception of value for money is based on whether they spent a half-day or full day.”

The centre has added as many attractions in recent years as it can. An interactive dive cage was added in 2007, otters arrived in 2011 and crocodiles last year.

Ticket sales now account for 50 per cent of revenue, with catering worth 30 per cent and the shop accounting for the remaining 20 per cent.

“The catering has developed from a very small, visitors-only cafe to a huge business in its own right, because it serves the whole beach,” said Mr Eels.

“The shop has developed a lot to have traditional items you expect – anything people out for a day on the beach would want to buy.”

The coming expansion will coincide with a rebranding exercise, with a penguin featuring in a new logo.

Ahead of the launch, a three metre tall fibreglass penguin will be cropping up around the area, with visitors encouraged to take pictures.

The extension should be open during the school summer holidays, Mr Eels said. “That’s our aim and my team and the contractors are all working really hard to try and achieve that,” he said.

“But it’s a tight site, it’s not easy to access and there’s a lot of competition for building trade at the moment so it’s a challenge.”

The biggest name in UK marine attractions is Sea Life, which has a park in Weymouth and is run by Poole-based Merlin Entertainments. Mr Eels said Merlin’s Poole-based directors tend to know the Oceanarium well.

“We have mutual respect between the two companies. Merlin have expanded hugely, we have as well and there are a lot of similarities between the two," he said.

"We think the better they get it, it pushes us to get better.”