AJ Hackett Cairns: Danny Hughes to lead global rebrand to Skypark

AJ Hackett’s Danny Hughes is a thrill seeker. And there is nothing more exciting than leading the global franchise into a new age of adventure tourism. Hook up that bungee cord and get ready for the plunge.

ADVENTURE runs through Danny Hughes’ veins.

From fast roping from helicopters in the navy to overseeing the day-to-day operations of adventure tourism leader Experience Co, thrillseeking is programmed into his DNA.

The general manager of AJ Hackett is about to lead the brand through COVID recovery with a global rebranding campaign as the CEO of AJ Hackett International.

It is not a venture for the faint of heart.

“It is still AJ Hackett international but we will be operating under the Skypark banner,” Mr Hughes said.

“It is part of a global initiative for us.”

The Cairns bungee park, tucked among rainforest behind James Cook University, is already sporting the new handle Skypark Cairns by AJ Hackett.

The rebranding will build on the success of the Skypark Sochi, which was launched in 2014.

“We had a really successful skypark site in Sochi, Russia,” Mr Hughes said.

“It was a collection of experiences, ranging from a kids’ adventure park to zip lines and bungee.

“There’s a real progression.”

He said the Sochi model would be gradually rolled out in the Far North, starting with the ominously named Walk the Plank, which will land in January.

The Plank is an elevated single beam protruding from the 50m-high bungee tower that will safely allow you to stand 140m above sea level, taking in views of the Great Barrier Reef and World heritage Rainforest.

AJ Hackett International chief executive officer Danny Hughes has announced the rebranding of the popular Smithfield adventure attraction as Skypark Cairns by AJ Hackett. Picture: Peter Carruthers

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Mr Hughes said the changes to AJ Hackett would inject more diversity into the experiences offered by the franchise and cater to a “broader demographic.”

“We have been seen from our bungee origins; we stay true to that, this is more of a refresh,” he said.

“Even with COVID we were confident of strong growth and when international travel resumes the number of products will increase.

“We were looking at rebranding at the first half of the year, it was an easy decision to postpone that, with coronavirus we didn’t know where we would end up.”

When the pandemic hit the brakes across the tourism industry worldwide, AJ Hackett was quick to respond.

Popular Smithfield adventure attraction has been rebranded as Skypark Cairns by AJ Hackett. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“Even back in January and February when we saw that shock affect Macau, we said we need to come out of this more efficient than when we went into it,” Mr Hughes said.

He said the recovery of the Cairns operation built on a foundation of local loyalty and fuelled by the JobKeeper subsidy.

“JobKeeper was pivotal particularly in getting going; it meant we could take more risks because a huge chunk of the labour was covered,” Mr Hughes said.

In the easing of lockdowns lay an untapped potential customer base.

“We saw that there was a big market for the locals to come out of a restricted environment,” he said.

“We understood that there were different financial situations and gave people the opportunity who may not have done it before.”

The new clients and regulars helped carry the business out of the pandemic.

“When we came out of lockdown we realised we had strength in the local market,” Mr Hughes said.

“We almost have a sporting bungee jumping base.

“We have members who jump 150 times each year, there is a pretty strong market in the Cairns population.”

An adventure seeker rides the Sky Swing at Skypark Cairns in Smithfield. Picture: Peter Carruthers

AJ’s global sites have recovered with varied intensity after an initial flurry of post lockdown popularity.

“Our sites in Russia and France have been really popular, but there are some that are high effort,” Mr Hughes added.

“This has been the year for high effort and low return.”

The adventure tourism specialist is under no illusions that COVID was the last economic shock in store for the region, and is already preparing the business to withstand the next event.

“Every shock in the economy gives us the opportunity to ask how we were we operating,” Mr Hughes said.

“We need to be operating as efficiently as we can, until the next shock in ten years, whatever that will be.

“In business we know that we work in ten year cycles.

“There is always something to learn from.”

Originally published as AJ Hackett Cairns: Danny Hughes to lead global rebrand to Skypark