The opening week’s occupancy levels have been forecast above 80% for most nights and it is expected that the upcoming long weekend will also be a highlight, as interstate guests travel to visit the resort.
A small amount of international bookings are from New Zealand, North America and Singapore.
“We’ve seen a further spike of demand now that people know that it’s open,” said Tallent.
“It’s [guests from] predominantly South Australia and Adelaide at this point, but we see that growing as word-of-mouth grows and people understand the product a bit better.”
“It’s running ahead of expectations.
Monarto Safari Resort is known to be Australia’s largest safari park, featuring a new 550-hectare Wild Africa precinct, a 78-room resort and premium day spa Marula, which also opened last week.
Designed as a wellness retreat, Marula features treatment rooms offering views of the surrounding Wild Africa plains, vitality and cold plunge pools and a private sauna.
The resort also features conference and function spaces, Kutjera restaurant, two swimming pools and 20 luxury tents as part of the luxury safari lodge, which will open later this year.
Guests will have up-close-and-personal encounters with animals such as southern white rhinoceroses, cheetahs, hippopotamuses, zebras, giraffes, antelopes and ostriches, viewed from either directly in front of the resort or around the watering hole.
Dawn and dusk safaris are also on offer for resort guests, who will be accompanied by knowledgeable guides on board custom-designed vehicles for intimate game drives.
“At the heart of all our brands are exceptional experiences that provide guests with an unparalleled journey,” Tallent said.
“Monarto Safari Resort delivers this in spades connecting them with the natural beauty and conservation efforts of the area. Monarto Safari Resort is the largest of its kind in Australia, and places you in the front row of nature’s greatest theatre.”
Journey Beyond added Monarto Safari Resort to its portfolio in January this year, when it signed a management agreement with owner Gerry Ryan and Zoos South Australia.
It is the first “meaningful” management deal for Journey Beyond and according to Tallent, there may be more to come in the future.
“We will continue to expand. We have a strong growth agenda, both organically and inorganically, through acquiring further businesses that align with our strategy and the types of experiences that we deliver,” he said.
“Experiential lodging is a great opportunity where individual properties, much like hotel companies operate, can plug themselves into our ecosystem and benefit from our significant databases, our travel club members, marketing systems and tech and operating processes.
“We’ll be looking to expand the number of facilities and experiences we have under management [agreements] as well as owned.”
