Sunshine Coast hotels and clubs have been hit hard by the double vaccination mandate but chiefs say another, more sinister, problem looms that could affect the amenity of our tourist region.
They say patrons are shying away from licensed venues, buying takeaway alcohol and food and staying home or taking the party into public spaces.
Locally-based hotelier Scott Armstrong said the introduction of the double-vax mandate had “noticeably affected” trading at licensed venues operated by family-owned Sunshine Coast Hotels Group: the Baringa Tavern, Parklands Tavern and Brightwater Tavern.
While retail bottle shops were still going strong as customers bought alcohol to consume off the premises, Mr Armstrong said spending was down in all other areas: food, beverage and gaming.
After speaking with industry figures across the state, he said “everyone has been impacted – no-one’s immune”.
While some unvaccinated people had been disallowed entry to venues, he said the “dominant issue” was fewer people going out to enjoy themselves.
That was impacted by concerns about the escalating number of cases in the community, the potential to contract the disease and the need to isolate, as well as the possibility of passing Covid on to elderly family members if venturing out so close to Christmas Day.
Mr Armstrong said that parties in parks and on beaches could create more public nuisance headaches for the area.
“Whenever people are in the hotels and clubs on the Sunshine Coast, we’ve got staff there monitoring – particularly at this time of year when people tend to have that extra drink,” he said.
Alex Surf Club CEO Ashley Robinson agreed.
Mr Robinson said prohibiting double-vaccinated patrons from meeting up with friends and family members who had not had the jab was likely lead to issues along the foreshore that police would have to deal with.
The State Government’s new COVID-19 rules, which came into effect on December 17, have allowed freedom of movement for double-vaccinated people.
There are no restrictions on visiting venues, such as pubs and clubs, restaurants and cafes, outdoor entertainment at stadiums and theme parks, and indoor entertainment venues including nightclubs, concerts, theatres, cinemas and casinos.
That’s not the case for those who aren’t fully vaccinated, who also are prevented from visiting vulnerable settings, including hospitals, residential aged care, disability accommodation services and prisons.
But under the new rules, everyone is still able to access essential services and activities, including grocery stores, pharmacies, post offices, newsagents and clothing stores, and participate in activities such as going to the gym for exercise.
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Mr Robinson, a former publican who is also a columnist with Sunshine Coast News and My Weekly Preview, said the new mandate represented a double standard “and small businesses are getting punished for it”.
He saw no difference between permitting the fully vaxxed and others to come together at venues such as Alex Surf Club and allowing them to mingle freely at supermarkets and large hardware stores.
“It’s insane there are two sets of rules,” he said.
“People go to a bottle shop and they don’t need to be double-vaxxed because it’s an essential service, so they go and sit in a park and that’s going to cause problems.
“Drinking in public places is going to be a problem.
“The Bluff (at Alexandra Headland) has been no problem since I’ve been doing this job in last couple of years. But (it) has become a massive gathering place for everyone and it will only get busier now.”
Despite border restrictions easing and Queenslanders reuniting with friends and loved ones on the Coast, Mr Robinson believes our hospitality industry is yet to see the gift of a festive windfall in trading as groups decide to party in private indoors or outdoors.
Confusion over how to download vaccination certificates or link them to the Queensland check-in app for QR Codes also is conspiring against bumper numbers of festive revellers at popular community venues.
While he had noticed “lots of southern number plates around”, Mr Robinson said business at the popular central Sunshine Coast club had been down 20% last Friday, December 17, when the new rules came in, with a decrease in trade of 40% on Saturday, December 18, and 15% on Sunday, December 19.
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“We could have closed at 10.30pm on Saturday and that’s just unheard of unless there’s particularly bad weather or something like that,” he said.
“Over the week, we’ve had a number of group bookings cancelled because a number of people are not vaxxed. They (might be) going to someone’s house, park or beach instead. Rubbish services are going to get busier.”
Mr Robinson believed residents and visitors were staying home in greater numbers due to a combination of trying to avoid becoming sick with the latest Omicron strain of the virus and not wanting to have to isolate at Christmas if they became an unwitting close contact of a Covid carrier at one of the venues.
“Once we get past Christmas day, things might perk up,” he said.
