Queensland tourism operators want better support as lockdown bites
It is the tropical tourist paradise at the top of Queensland that has continued to suffer well past the state’s coronavirus lockdown period.
Tourism employs about 80 per cent of the population at Port Douglas, according to the local industry body, with the area usually attracting visitors from around the country and the world.
After months of pain, operators said they saw a boost in bookings after Queenslandās borders were opened to Victoria and New South Wales last month.
But restrictions imposed in response to the most recent cluster in Sydneyās Northern Beaches has come as another financial hit.
Bruno Bennett, a resort operator and chairman of the Douglas Shire Accommodation Cooperative, said the holiday season was the regionās last hope of recovering some of the losses.
āWeāve just had a horrific year, but right at the moment it is about cancellations,ā he said.
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āThis was our last hope really, just over the Christmas, New Year period early into January.
āItās really about the vaccine for us now and thatās what weāll be hanging our hat on but really this past 12 months, we never want to relive again.ā
After nine months of domestic uncertainty, and without international visitors, family-run businesses like those of reef tour operator Steve Edmonson, are feeling the pain of the latest New South Wales restrictions.
āItās obviously a huge impact, weāve had many, many calls and cancellations today, we have people who are about to leave for the airport an hour later,ā he said.
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āBut for me, the biggest lesson is really whatās going to happen with tourism, when we have this whole pattern continuing for probably the rest of 2021. This is alarming.ā
Edmonson would typically take about 20,000 tourists onto the Great Barrier Reef annually, but this year it has been much fewer.
He described the virus as having effectively putting ātrade sanctionsā on operations like his and said that deserved greater industry-specific help from authorities.
āWeāre not actually trying to look for sympathy, we need appropriate support because our markets have been closed through no fault of our own,ā he said.
āTourism is very undervalued, if we were in different industries, it would be a lot easier to have some federal funding towards it.ā
He said a local marine tour operator under financial pressure folded last week.
āWeāre at a very vulnerable time in the next few months of marine industry, for businesses to change radically and downsizing,ā Edmonson said.
āWhat we need to do to keep the tourism industry alive, [is] provide some lifeline of support, because those businesses are very close to not being very viable.
āIf you donāt have a viable business, you donāt have employment, and you wonāt have re-employment.
āItās a very big cost to pay.ā
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