The Sunshine Coast tourism industry has been dealt a hefty blow by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the sector, which supports 29,000 jobs, was severely impacted by the wild weather that threatened the region for days before it caused significant flooding.
“I haven’t seen hotels this empty since the pandemic,” he said.
“Tens of thousands of people cancelled their holidays to the Sunshine Coast last week.
“This includes almost 20,000 visitors who were coming to the Coast for events such as the Mooloolaba Tri, Oz Tag Senior State Championships and for several business events.
“Some events have been rescheduled, but others haven’t.
“In addition to the cancellations, forward bookings have also dried up.
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“Our hotel occupancy for March is already down considerably compared to last year.
“It even dips as low as 25 per cent occupancy for the end of the month: this is less than half of what we would have otherwise anticipated.”
He said Sunshine Coast Airport was operational, along with the public transport network, hotels, attractions, tours and restaurants.
Efforts are being made to help the sector rebound.
“We have a lot of ground to make up,” he said.
“To help the tourism industry get back on its feet, VSC launched a new real-time social media campaign to show holidaymakers what the Sunshine Coast really looks like, right now, through photos and videos.
“The best way to get people travelling again is by showing people exactly what the Sunshine Coast looks like right now.
“We’ve had an instant response to the campaign with 64,000 video views overnight, which we hope will quickly translate into bookings.
“Some tourism businesses have not had any customers for a week, and it’s so important that we get the tourism industry flowing again.”
One of the first operators to share her real-time content with VSC was Verena Olesch of Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World, who welcomed 40 visitors on Tuesday.
But she said that was well below normal weekday numbers.
“The sun is out and it looks immaculate. All the animals are safe and they’ve just missed having people to play with,” she said.
Meanwhile, community members can help collect debris from battered beaches.
Sunshine Coast Council will work to support volunteer groups to ensure a coordinated and efficient beach cleanup operation.
Sunshine Coast Disaster Recovery chair Councillor Maria Suarez said beaches were being assessed.
“A lot of debris and fallen trees have ended up over pathways, steps and beach accesses,” she said.
She said many beaches had significant sand loss.
“Please continue to stay off the exposed and fragile dunes and stay away from any steep drop-offs, as sand can collapse suddenly, putting people at serious risk,” she said.
Volunteers can register for a beach clean-up by joining an organised operation with a local community group here.
