Be part of Melbourne's Exciting Tourism Recovery
There's no denying Melbourne's tourism industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, new figures reveal that the city is already in recovery with tourism numbers on the up. And that's even more reason to cash in by buying this Iconic Melbourne Business.
During the recent Moomba Festival, the city reported a 392% increase in pedestrian movements at Alexandra Gardens.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said average pedestrian activity across the city over the long weekend was up by 19.1% compared to the same days the previous week. The numbers included people from regional Victoria and across Melbourne.
Melbourne River Cruise (MRC) is one of the city's most recognised businesses, as it is the largest transport, tourism, and hospitality waterways vessel operator on the famous Yarra River.
The Yarra flows through the heart of Melbourne's cultural, commercial, and sporting heartland, passing by the iconic MCG, the National Tennis Centre, Botanic Gardens, Arts Centre, Flinders Street Station, and the busy CBD.
Started from the vision of a single person who saw the untapped potential of the Yarra River in the 1980s, the business is a pioneer in offering river cruises on the Yarra River. The business has grown over the years, benefiting from the continuous multi-billion-dollar developments along the riverbanks.
Owned and operated by the same family for over 40 years, it is now time for a new owner to take the helm and be part of Melbourne's exciting recovery and regrowth.
Executive Director, MRC, Evan Lavdas, said MRC had been an extremely important family business, achieving many milestones in terms of customer satisfaction, growth, and development.
"MRC commenced operating with one boat and now operates a fleet, plus Melbourne's only iconic floating restaurant," he said.
"Melbourne is a world-class city built on the banks of the river with new building developments worth billions still occurring today.
"The importance of our business is providing the public boating access to Melbourne waterways that not only showcases Melbourne but is, in fact, part of the fabric of Melbourne that contributes socially, culturally and economically.
"This adds enormous value to Melbourne's business precinct and should be seen as a major asset that will continue to operate, be valued, enjoyed, and appreciated until the river runs dry!"
As plans to revamp the city's riverbanks and boost business get underway, locals and visitors are rediscovering the waterway and enjoying the many new and trendy eateries along the way.
This business is a fixture on the Yarra and starting it from scratch would be near-impossible and cost prohibitive.
The award-winning Melbourne River Cruise comes with a fleet of 7 vessels, catering for group sizes of 30 to 180 passengers and all fully licensed to serve food and alcohol.
Significant long-term licenses of limited, exclusive, permanent prime mooring spots for the vessels are additional major key assets of the business.
The existing management team has experienced employees in place, and the replacement cost of the fleet alone is more than A$12 million.
With a wide customer base, MRC's products and services are highly desirable and, post-COVID, the business is expected to benefit from Melbourne's growth in transport, tourism, and hospitality industry.
Major and multiple sources of revenues streams are offered, including river cruises and dining, events, mobile advertising revenue, corporate and more.
The true worth of this business is not reflected in its current financials but, when international tourism opens back up next year, this will be on the map. Australia is seen as a safe place to visit and people will come and spend money.
The current owners see the future but, with younger family members going in other directions, the option to continue is not there. The family is seeking a buyer with the passion and energy to take over.
"Selling this business will be very difficult due to the many memories created. It has been the family's pride and joy and has yielded many financial benefits and celebrated many achievements and milestones along the way.
"Ideally, the next person or investors will be enterprising visionaries like the original founder, that will be able to take advantage of the opportunities of this waterway's tourism, hospitality and transport business, and the growing market.
"Investors that have the genuine resources and appropriate business credentials, acumen, and appropriate strategies should significantly grow the business to its enormous potential," Mr Lavdas said.
The vessels are specially constructed to handle the unique cruising environment of the Yarra River and its low bridges. All vessels are built and operated to the certified standards of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
This is a very rare opportunity that may never come up again; if you wish to own one of Melbourne's most prominent and iconic businesses, enquire today!
