Ardent, Village close theme parks, cinemas also to shut

Queensland theme parks will be closed well into May, at least, under COVID-19 restrictions which will also shut cinemas.

The rollercoaster ride of the coronavirus pandemic continues, with Queensland theme parks shut down. Picture: Adam Head

The Queensland theme park industry has been closed down by the coronavirus crisis as cinemas around the country are also shut, hitting thousands of staff and small businesses.

Dreamworld and WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast closed on Monday, with owner Ardent Leisure Group citing the impact of new restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Village Roadshow also closed its Gold Coast theme parks Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild and Paradise Country.

The hotel, Sea World Resort, remains open at this stage, but all Village cinemas will close on Monday.

The parks will be closed well past the April school holidays as governments try to curtail non-essential domestic leisure travel.

Ardent said the decision has been made to cease operations until the end of May, as it pointed to new restrictions and the high level of uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.

“This date may change as further information becomes known. It is not possible to determine how long these venues will be closed and the board will continue to monitor the situation with a view to reopening as soon as possible,” the company said.

Ardent moved after new Queensland and federal government measures on social distancing, including restrictions on non-essential indoor and mass gatherings.

Ardent said it would “temporarily cease” operating Dreamworld and WhiteWater World from Monday, just days after it closed its US-based Main Event restaurants following tight US restrictions.

Both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World will retain minimal staff to ensure the ongoing care of animals and to ensure the parks are maintained.

Ardent chairman Dr Gary Weiss and theme parks chief John Osborne said they were “deeply aware” the decision to close the parks would create a great deal of uncertainty for staff and the community, but added that health and safety was top priority.

In one of the first such acts by a full board, Ardent directors will not take fees until further notice.

WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast is being closed down as part of COVID-19 restrictions.

Village is also implementing staff stand-downs, and placing the facilities in a maintenance-only position. It also pledged to maintain the welfare of its animals but flagged cost reductions at its corporate offices.

“This includes working with landlords and other suppliers to reduce expenses, deferral of government taxes where possible, use of leave entitlements by all employees across the group and further stand downs where appropriate,” Village said.

“Our primary focus is to get through this and emerge at the other end able to support the many thousands of employees we have across the Village Roadshow Group, and the myriad of businesses, large and small, which rely on us for their livelihood,” Village chief executive Clark Kirby said.

The listed Event Hospitality & Entertainment, which owns the largest cinema circuits in Australia including Event Cinemas, said it would close its movie theatres on Monday until the end of May.

It will stand down the majority of cinema employees during this time, with staff to draw on annual and long service leave, and access negative annual leave balances.

But the company warned periods of leave without pay for some employees were inevitable and casual employee hours had already been substantially reduced.

“The group has been in contact with other businesses who are experiencing increased demand relating to coronavirus to seek opportunities for casual staff. In addition, discussions with landlords to seek support during this period have commenced,” Event said.

Event also owns more than 60 hotels worldwide, operating more than 10,000 rooms, under the Atura Hotels, Rydges Hotels & Resorts, QT Hotels & Resorts, and Thredbo Alpine Resort brands. It is assessing the impact of government moves relating to food and beverage areas at its hotels and Thredbo.