Strong result for Splash Planet despite poor weather over summer

Attendance at Hastings water theme park Splash Planet for the 2011/12 summer season was strong, despite a lack of settled weather.

The season, which ran from November until April, resulted in a total attendance of 98,303 with the numbers peaking in January when 49,199 people went through the gate.

Income targets were again met, indicating that customers were still travelling from outside the region to visit Splash Planet during the season.

Splash Planet manager Peran Hutchings says “The weather didn’t help our visitor numbers, with the region experiencing an average summer, but the attendance figure is just 3139 short of the number achieved in the 2010/11 season. This may indicate that Hawkes Bay’s summer was marginally better than other parts of New Zealand.”

Both November and January recorded higher attendance figures than the previous year.

Deputy Mayor Cynthia Bowers says “This is a pleasing result for Splash Planet given the weather conditions which prevailed over the past summer. A strong marketing strategy has ensured that people from all around the country have continued to visit Splash Planet. The water theme park is a great family destination and continues to be one of Hastings major visitor attractions.”

A number of operational improvements were made to the facility before the water park opened for the 2011/12 season, with increased filtration resulting in higher water clarity in two pools. Work was also completed on the railway bridge, two of the slides and some theme improvements were made at the bumper boats.

Peran Hutchings says a number of small projects will be completed before the complex opens this summer.

Splash Planet will open for the summer season on November 12th 2012.