Change of leadership at Ardent Leisure theme parks

The Ardent Leisure Group has announced the appointment of Craig Davidson as the new Chief Executive of its Theme Parks division, replacing Todd Coates who has resigned to pursue other opportunities in Sydney

Davidson was previously General Manager of Destination Development at Tourism Australia and has been responsible for the operation of the Voyages Hotels and Resorts portfolio and Hamilton Island.

Davidson will start his new role in late August.

The new appointment follows a difficult period for Ardent's theme park division, which includes Dreamworld, the Skypoint Climb and WhiteWater World.

While its Goodlife Health Clubs and entertainment centres in the US are booming, revenue and attendance figures have been down at its theme parks.

Ardent earlier this year blamed wet weather, increased licensing fees and higher electricity costs for the flatter performance at its parks.

Ardent Chief Executive Greg Shaw said the company was planning to unveil new attractions at its Gold Coast parks while adding that Ardent had concentrated on diversifying its market and had "significantly reduced" its reliance on the theme parks' business.

Todd Coates (pictured above left) joined Ardent's Theme Parks division in August 2011, having been Managing Director of Sydney BridgeClimb since 2000.

15th December 2011 - DREAMWORLD CELEBRATES 30TH BIRTHDAY

29th October 2011 - PRICE WAR HITS REVENUE AT ARDENT ATTRACTIONS 

18th August 2011 - TODD COATES TO HEAD ARDENT LEISURE THEME PARKS DIVISION 

19th February 2009 - DREAMWORLD OPENS V8 SUPERCAR EXPERIENCE

3rd January 2008 - DREAMWORLD ON TRACK WITH DOOHAN’S MOTOCOASTER 

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