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Village Roadshow temporarily closes cinemas and theme parks

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Village Roadshow Limited (VRL) has announced the temporary closure of its Gold Coast theme parks – Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild, and Paradise Country.

Topgolf Gold Coast has also been temporarily closed, while Sea World Resort remains open for now as it provides accommodation.

In addition, all cinemas operated by VRL have closed. Village Roadshow’s theme parks will continue to care for their animals.

VRL has closed the attractions “to protect the health and safety of its patrons, employees and the community in light of the continued spread of coronavirus”.

Topgolf Gold Coast and all cinemas closed

VRL Group is implementing contingency plans for the closures, including employee stand downs and putting the facilities in a maintenance-only position.

The company is taking action to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, implementing further cost reductions throughout all businesses and at corporate offices.

“We have made this decision with heavy hearts, but we know it is the right thing for the safety and wellbeing of our employees, patrons and the community,” said CEO of VRL, Clark Kirby.

“We are grateful for the support of our employees and will adopt strategies to reduce the financial impact on them as much as possible. We will plan for our businesses to open again once it is safe and prudent to do so,” added Kirby.

Sea World Resort remains open for now

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“Our primary focus is to get through this and emerge at the other end able to support the many thousands of employees we have across the Village Roadshow Group, and the myriad of businesses, large and small, which rely on us for their livelihood.”

Elsewhere, Merlin Entertainments is temporarily shutting attractions in response to the pandemic, including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor, and Thorpe Park.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed that one million jobs are being lost every day in the travel and tourism sector, in light of COVID-19.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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