The first lockdown on the Sunshine Coast since late March 2020, coupled with interstate lockdowns and border closures, will have a “significant impact” on tourism operators this school holidays.
As Queensland enters day one of its first lockdown since March this year, there are also lockdowns in Sydney, Darwin, Perth as well as border restrictions, and the nation is on edge about more outbreaks and travel bans.
Meanwhile supplies of the Pfizer vaccine are just days from running out at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) but the Federal Government has refused urgent requests for backup supplies, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has warned.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said with many interstate markets unable to travel to the Sunshine Coast, operators have had “extensive cancellations” for the winter holiday period.
“This is not only going to impact our accommodation providers, but our tours, our attractions, our restaurants and our small businesses, which rely on the influx of holidaymakers during the school holiday period,” said Mr Stoeckel.
“Our industry is dependent on our interstate markets especially over this winter period and it will take some time to recover from it.
“But in the meantime, the tourism industry is focused on doing their part to implement the advice from the health authorities, and help to get us into a position to welcome visitors once again.
“It will be critical for all levels of government to come together and rebuild travel confidence when things improve.”
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Tracey Harris, of the Caloundra Holiday Centre which manages about 150 apartments and houses, said the lockdown, while necessary, had created chaos for tourism operators.
Ms Harris, also a Caloundra Tourism committee member, said her operation had gone from near 100% occupancy to about 50% as people left to go home early, or cancelled.
“We had quite a number of bookings – as did others in and around Caloundra – from people attending the Australian Table Tennis Championships (Caloundra Indoor Stadium) but this was cancelled, so they could not come.
“You have to agree that it’s a good idea to have this snap lockdown, but the timing has been just terrible.’’
There were also many additional cancellations linked to the Nissan State Age netball carnival, being hosted by the Sunshine Coast.
Ms Harris said her centre had found extended accommodation for New Zealand visitors unable to get home due to flight cancellations and hoped that the lockdown would be lifted on Friday at 6pm.
“We have many people holding on to their bookings and hoping they can come on Saturday and enjoy the second week of the school holidays … fingers crossed.’’
Businesses cry for help
Queensland small businesses are still waiting for a pledge of direct compensation after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s lockdown announcement, as the opposition ramps up its push for support packages.
The three-day lockdown started Tuesday 6pm and will continue until Friday 6pm in SEQ, Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island.
On Tuesday it emerged a 19-year-old receptionist at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane travelled to the state’s north and was infectious in the community for 10 days before being tested.
She was found to have the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.
The full updated list of exposure sites in Queensland is here.
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While millions of Queenslanders are plunged into another lockdown, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has called for a comprehensive business support package for small and family businesses.
Mr Crisafulli says there is a critical need for such a package as school holiday plans come to an abrupt halt.
“People are crying out for certainty and the absence of it means decisions that have to be made in real time,” he said.
“So whether or not that’s an amount to cover perishables, whether that’s a safety net for their staff, whether or not it’s the assurance that if you are one of those venues who are impacted, the deep cleaning cost and the ability to mobilise it will be assisted by the government.”
Mr Crisafulli cited a Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) report that found the previous snap lockdown cost businesses up to $600 million.
A survey earlier this year found medium-sized business lost up to $65,000 in three days, with smaller businesses on average losing between $12,000 to $58,000.
In a statement on Tuesday, the CCIQ called for payments of up to $25,000 to affected businesses to cover loss of stock and trade.
Meanwhile event organisers in the state’s southeast have been forced into last-minute cancellations.
The Gold Coast marathon on July 3-4 will not take place for its second consecutive year and the Scenic Rim’s Winter Harvest Festival has also been cancelled.
Questions are also being asked about the Wallabies’ opening test match against France in Brisbane scheduled for July 7, after it was moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground in light of NSW’s recent COVID cluster.
Queensland health authorities say future measures will be shaped by testing results in the coming days.
-with AAP
