Just wondering if anyone has any clues as to why Sea World's attendance levels jumped by a massive 22% in the 6 months to December 2006 compared to the previous cooresponding period. I found this figure in Village Roadshow's most recent half yearly report. Considering Movie World's attendance only grew by 4% and they are the park that has received the most capital investment of late. It just doesn't make sense to me... any thoughts?

The short answer is an emphasis on annual pass sales in the early months of 2006 has paid off spectacularly. Also, when you look at the park's last few years, we have seen something new added every year since 2003, so they're not quite as starved for new attractions as is often made out. For the average family it's without a doubt the best theme park on the Gold Coast, and the numbers reflect that. Later this week we'll have a few articles on the main page that go into the Gold Coast parks' performance and future so keep an eye out for them.