AusLeisure

With caravanning booming amid pandemic restrictions, the Adelaide-based G'Day Group has been revealed to have purchased three holiday parks in the Northern Territory and a further park in Western Australia over the last 12 months for a reported sum of $75 million.

While tourism to the Northern Territory is still impacted by Coronavirus restrictions, the G'Day Group purchases are a sign of confidence in the sector, with the move welcomed by Tourism Central Australia.

As reported by the ABC, the G'Day Group's purchases include Kings Canyon Resort, Glen Helen Resort and the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park in Alice Springs for a total of $60 million, as well as the El Questro resort just over the border in Western Australia for $15 million.

G'Day Group Chief Executive Grant Wilckens said the firm was happy with the acquisitions, advising “the reality was that the portfolio that we bought from Delaware North - which is our El Questro, Kings Canyon and a property in Sydney - was probably underinvested.”

However, Wilckens said he did not expect tourism in the Northern Territory to be back at full strength anytime soon, adding "I'd be quite concerned that the Territory is going to be probably constrained and closed for much longer than what we'd like.

"I'd love to see it opened around Christmas, but it looks like to me that you'll be closed for for much longer, which is not great … for our businesses, obviously — it's probably good for health and good for communities."

Tourism Central Australia Chief Executive Danial Rochford said investment in the region was long overdue, noteing "I think that bodes well for the future for the region - to have such a large player in our industry invest in Central Australia is great news.”

Rochford said that the caravan industry was booming because of the pandemic, going on to say "Jayco, the major caravan manufacturer in Australia, would make normally about 40,000 caravans in a year.

"In the last year they've made 70,000, so that gives you the understanding of how big this market is going."

Images: The MacDonnell Range Holiday Park in Alice Springs. Top image courtesy of Swimplex.

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