Jamala Wildlife Lodge celebrates its 8th birthday.
Over 100,000 guests visit Canberra.
This month, Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra celebrates its 8th birthday. The then Governor General of Australia, General Sir Peter Cosgrove officially opened the Lodge in May 2015. Since then, over 100,000 guests have stayed at Jamala.
“We survey each visitor regarding the reason that they visited Canberra and over the 8 years, more than 85% have said that their trip was specifically to visit Jamala Wildlife Lodge” the General Manager of Jamala, Amanda Mead explained. Jamala only has 18 rooms but with an average occupancy rate of 84% since opening, it has made a significant contribution to the Canberra economy.
“Many of these visitors stayed in Canberra longer than their Jamala experience, or returned later to further explore Canberra. A lot of other tourism facilities such as accommodation centres, attractions and restaurants benefited from their visit to Canberra. The financial input to the city has been enormous” Amanda added.
In addition to numerous local, national and international awards that it has won over the last 8 years, Jamala also recently won the Gold Medal for Unique Accommodation in Australia from Tourism Australia, as well as for the best Tourism Restaurant in Canberra.
“We also get a lot of Canberrans staying at Jamala, as it gives them the opportunity to experience a slice of Africa in their own backyard. We currently have some birthday specials that we are sure will appeal to locals who can stay a night or two at short notice” Amanda said.
Guests advise that the main attractions of Jamala are widespread, but include the adventure of having wild animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, meerkats or monkeys coming and going from their window, plus the African-themed rooms and artworks throughout the facility, as well as the culinary delights. “We have many guests who are either from Africa or have visited there regularly and invariably they are overwhelmed at the connection that Jamala gives them to the African continent” Amanda added.
