Marine park operator Dolphin Cove Ltd has credited improvements in revenue for its second quarter ending June 2017 to the North-South Highway.

The company reported increased revenue earnings of eight per cent for the three months up to June, led by the completed North-South Highway and an uptick in the number of visitors on the island since the start of the year.

“The island received 2.1 million visitors between January and June of this year 2017, an increase of 3.9 per cent over the same period last year. This, along with good local support, thanks to our new North-South Highway, resulted in increased revenues of six per cent for the first two quarters,” Dolphin Cove management told shareholders in its just released second-quarter results.

The North-South link Highway, which was completed in 2016, has reduced travel time from Kingston to Ocho Rios by approximately one hour and 15 minutes, according to the Jamaica North-South Highway Company website. It says estimated travel from Kingston to Ocho Rios is now roughly two hours.

The growth in net revenue was also aided by a 10 per cent improvement in ancillary services comparable to the prior year.

Nonetheless, the increase in revenue was not enough for Dolphin Cove to increase profit for the quarter. The company reported a decline in net profit after tax of nine per cent, moving from US$1.3 million in June 2016 to US$1.2 million for the quarter under review.

The decline in net profit was attributable to a 52 per cent slip in finance income. Operating expenses of the parks climbed to US$2.8 million up from US$2.5 million.

Earlier this year, Dolphin Cove shifted focus on an online booking platform and website which Chairman Stafford Burrowes said complemented the room rental platform, Airbnb.

A year after being acquired by Mexican company Dolphin Discovery Group, Dolphin Cove also plans to pump US$2 million on upgrades in Jamaica. The company also plans to spend more on its marine park in St Lucia later this year.

World of Dolphins Inc, which controls Dolphin Discovery, acquired 79.99 per cent of Dolphin Cove Limited in January 2016.

Dolphin Cove currently operates in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Its regional expansion plans include the Turks and Caicos Islands, where it has already secured land. Its St Lucia property is set to open in 2018 after being granted environmental permits.