Why 2018 will be Dreamworld’s year: Ardent Leisure chairman Dr Gary Weiss

Ardent Leisure chairman Dr. Gary Weiss has predicted a resurgence in visitor numbers at Dreamworld on the back of a bumper year for the entire Gold Coast.

ARDENT Leisure Group, owner of a range of entertainment assets including Dreamworld, WhiteWater World, and Skypoint Observation Deck, is excited about the year ahead on the Gold Coast.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games will provide a great opportunity to showcase our attractions and venues across the Gold Coast, as well as superb promotion of the whole state to both interstate and overseas visitors.

Ardent Leisure chairman Gary Weiss at Dreamworld. Picture: Adam Head

The SkyPoint Observation Deck at Q1 will take centre stage during the Games as the best vantage point to take in all that the Gold Coast has to offer.

Tourism continues to be the cornerstone of the Gold Coast’s economy, generating more than $5 billion in revenue and employing 46,000 people in 2017.

As the owner of the largest theme park in Australia, with more than 1,000 full-time and casual employees, who work as engineers, entertainers, ride operators and animal carers, we take our responsibilities very seriously as we work towards recovering Dreamworld’s visitations following the terrible tragedy in October 2016.

We continue to mourn the loss of four patrons and are working closely with the Queensland Government and our own independent experts to ensure Dreamworld is one of the safest and most attractive theme parks in the world.

We are implementing strategies and initiatives to reinvigorate Dreamworld to seek to recover a significant part of the patronage that has slipped away over the last 12 months.

Tiger cubs Melati and Mya are seen in a nursery enclosure at Dreamworld. Picture: AAP

The Gold Coast Destination Tourism Management Plan (DTMP) builds on the partnership between the City of Gold Coast and the tourism industry and provides a blueprint for success.

Not only does it address maximising the impact of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, it focuses our industry on those aspects which will drive visitation such as investment in events, new infrastructure and experiences.

We believe investment, not only at Dreamworld but also in new and exciting experiences across the Gold Coast, is the key to our future success.

i-Ride Flying Theatre at Dreamworld.

We will play our part by continuing to invest significantly in park infrastructure and new attractions - such as the world’s first DreamWorks Trolls Village walk-through attraction and our recently announced world-class Flying Theatre simulator, expected to open later this year.

We are currently carrying out a review of the surplus land at Dreamworld and are investigating possible uses to stimulate more visitations to the park and better integration into the exciting developments that are happening in the Coomera area.

The Claw ride at Dreamworld. Picture: AAP

With all of these features and other events planned, I expect Dreamworld to play a big part in the enjoyment of the expected millions of interstate and overseas visitors to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games and the rest of the year.

2018 will mark a watershed moment for Queensland and Gold Coast tourism and we are delighted to be playing a part.