Ardent to take hit as theme parks struggle
ARDENT Leisure expects a loss from its theme parks this financial year after visitor numbers and revenue continued to fall following the fatal Dreamworld accident and Cyclone Debbie.
Ardent, which operates Dreamworld and WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast, said yesterday that performance so far this year indicated negative earnings for its theme park division.
It expects the unit’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the year to June 30 to be negative by between $ 2 million and $ 4 million.
The company said combined visitor numbers for March and April were down 36.7 per cent, and revenue was 38.9 per cent lower at $ 9.6 million, partly reflecting the impact of heavy rainfall and Cyclone Debbie in March and consequent tourist cancellations in April.
“As reported in the thirdquarter trading update, the Gold Coast experienced a significant increase in total rainfall during the month of March, particularly on weekend days,” Ardent said in a statement.
“Further, visitation and revenue was negatively impacted during the Easter long weekend and broader school holiday trading period in April as a number of customers either cancelled or deferred travel plans to the region on the back of flooding and damage caused by the east coast cyclone that impacted the region in late March.”
Ardent said it was continuing efforts to boost visitor numbers and revenue at its theme parks, including offering discounted ticket prices at Dreamworld.