AusLeisure

As Australia’s outdoor visitor attractions cope with the seemingly growing unpredictability of extreme weather, operators are increasingly turning to data to adapt and respond in real time.

This unpredictability emerged as a key theme at last week’s Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) 2025 Conference on the Gold Coast, where operators and industry leaders gathered to discuss the shifting landscape of attractions.

Commenting on this theme, Victoria Zorin, Chief Executive of crowd analytics platform Nola, referenced conversations with two local Uber drivers during the event, recalling that each had advised “the rain just hasn’t been like this before”.

Reflecting on this, Zorin sees those comments as telling, noting “that kind of offhand comment is becoming a data point - and it’s one I’m hearing more often.”

Weather now a Frontline Operational Factor
Traditionally, weather was treated as a background variable in tourism forecasting. Today, it is becoming a frontline factor directly shaping visitor behaviour, revenue models, and operational planning.

Zorin states “weather came up not just in keynotes, but in nearly every conversation on the floor.

“Operators spoke openly about how erratic conditions are disrupting visitation patterns, KPIs, dwell time, and performance metrics.”

Data from Nola underscores this, with a nationwide analysis of venue traffic that it undertook in April 2025 revealing stark differences tied to localised weather conditions.

The analysis identified:

• Outdoor venues saw a 40 to 60% decline in entries on rainy days.
• Indoor attractions experienced a 10 to 16% increase in visitor traffic, often without warning.

Across both types of venues average stay time is shrinking, impacting per-capita spend and disrupting staff workflows.

Indoor venues as an alternative
With outdoor attractions facing unpredictable drops in visitation, indoor venues such as amusement arcades, family/social entertainment centres, museums and cinemas are increasingly absorbing overflow.

Zorin explains “they’re no longer just the rainy-day fallback.

“On wet mornings, they’re the first stop - but the surges are often unplanned and overwhelming if you’re not ready.”

Advising that stay time patterns are also becoming less predictable, Zorin states “some guests linger longer because they’re short on alternatives. Others come in, dry off, and leave - so the operational challenge is bigger than just capacity.”

Weather disruption
March 2025 was the hottest on record, with temperatures 2.4°C above average and the fourth-wettest since records began, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The Gold Coast, impacted by ongoing rain and Cyclone Alfred, faced widespread disruptions to transport and tourism operations.

Zorin warned “these aren’t anomalies anymore - they’re the new normal.

“What we once treated as edge cases are now weekly operational realities.”

Actionable recommendations for operators
To help venues navigate this new landscape, Zorin suggests key strategies for data-led resilience:

Measure More Than Footfall: Track stay time and movement patterns to uncover insights beyond basic entries.

Overlay Weather Data: Identify and anticipate behaviours triggered by environmental changes.

Operate Dynamically: Adjust staffing, layout, and activations in real time using live data signals.

Design for Resilience: Incorporate flexible F&B areas, shaded zones, and weatherproofing to extend visits.

Zorin sees that platforms like Nola can enable this shift by providing real-time visibility into entries, exits, and dwell time - paired with predictive weather overlays and integration-ready APIs for operational dashboards.

Looking Ahead
Zorin concluded “weather isn’t a seasonal concern anymore - it’s an operational input.

“Venues that embrace real-time data and design for agility will be the ones that adapt fastest - and thrive.”

She sees that with a changing climate the business of attractions must change with it.

Images: An uprooted tree at Warner Bros. Movie World following the Boxing Day 2023 storms (top, credit: supplied) and Nola Chief Executive Victoria Zorin (below).

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