Ardent hopes lower $A boosts visitors

Ardent hopes lower $A boosts visitors

Ardent Leisure hopes that the lower Australian dollar will help entice more local visitors to its Gold Coast theme parks.

Revenues for the company’s Dreamworld, Whitewater World and Skypoint parks were fairly flat in April at $7.85 million.

The result continues the trend seen during the March quarter, when unprecedented rainfall was blamed for keeping visitors away.

During an investor update on Thursday, Ardent executives said they expected the lower Australian dollar would help encourage more visitors.

Meanwhile, Ardent’s Main Events family entertainment centres in the United States continue to fire.

Revenues for April were up by nearly 70 per cent compared to a year ago.

On a like-for-like basis, which strips out the effects of new centre openings, revenues rose 3.9 per cent.

Ardent said lower petrol prices had given business a boost, with the number of visitors up by more than six per cent on a like-for-like basis during the March quarter.

Growth at Main Event centres was the main driver behind Ardent’s third quarter results, which were announced earlier in May and showed a 17 per cent rise in total revenues.

Elsewhere, the group’s AMF bowling centres lifted total revenues by 4.6 per cent in April, and by one per cent on a like-for-like basis.

Shares in Ardent were one cent lower at $2.14.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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