G’day Group, the parent company of Discovery Parks, has announced plans to double the size of its holiday parks business over the next five years, supported by an investment of more than AUD 200 million in technology, data, and marketing. This expansion builds on significant recent growth, with Discovery Parks’ revenue rising from AUD 209 million in 2021 to an expected AUD 435 million in 2025.
Discovery Parks operates as Australia’s largest holiday parks business, serving over 2 million guests annually and maintaining a total customer base exceeding 6 million. The company has expanded through the development of new accommodation and facilities at existing parks, as well as acquisitions of new properties, amid a broader industry shift toward corporate participation.
“The industry has evolved from being dominated by small, family-run parks to one increasingly shaped by large corporate operators who bring sophisticated systems and substantial marketing budgets,” said Lahnee White, G’day Group’s chief marketing officer and chief digital businesses officer. White emphasized that these market dynamics have heightened competition, with many operators offering similar properties in attractive locations. This has driven the company to focus on differentiating its brand.
As part of this effort, Discovery Parks introduced “Bruce the Bark Manager,” an AI-generated mascot designed to embody the values of friendliness and helpfulness associated with the company’s park managers. The character adapts its presentation to fit different destinations and seasons, enabling a distinctive and flexible marketing approach.
Technology, particularly the use of artificial intelligence, plays a central role in the company’s growth strategy. G’day Group is working to integrate AI-powered tools and systems that enhance how customers discover and book accommodation. The company is adapting to rapid changes in the travel sector brought about by agentic AI and large language models, aiming to capture a greater share of this emerging market.
White noted that the business is pursuing a disruptive strategy by employing AI internally to anticipate and respond to external disruptions in travel booking and customer engagement. While acknowledging that the full impact of AI-driven change is not yet fully realized, G’day Group is positioning itself to lead in this evolving landscape.
In addition to technological innovation, the company is reconfiguring its marketing approach. Moving beyond a primarily digital focus, it now employs marketing mix modeling that evaluates multi-year revenue, media performance, and macroeconomic factors to optimize spending across digital, audio, and out-of-home advertising channels. Early results indicate this diversified strategy could double return on investment.
Internally, G’day Group is shifting how marketing, technology, data, and customer growth functions operate, bringing these areas closer together under White’s leadership of a multidisciplinary team exceeding 100 employees. Rather than restructuring the organization formally, the company is redesigning its operational mindset to better align with changing consumer behavior driven by technological advancements.
Despite these changes, White emphasized the importance of preserving the company’s core mission to provide memorable family and friend getaways in iconic Australian locations. “As we reinvent our brand and grow, the essence of the experience we create for customers remains paramount,” she said. The focus remains on enhancing customer experience while adapting to new methods of delivery and engagement.