Wildfire Tourist Towns Saw an Easter Revival, Then The Virus Hit
Wildfire Tourist Towns Saw an Easter Revival, Then The Virus Hit
(Bloomberg) --
Simon Millar can pack about 100 tourists aboard a catamaran to offer glimpses of humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins in the vivid blue waters off southeastern Australia.
After a southern hemisphere summer badly disrupted by the country’s devastating wildfires, the 34-year-old skipper had hoped this weekend’s Easter holidays would deliver a resurgence in bookings for tours and fishing trips.
With domestic and foreign visitors now kept away by coronavirus travel curbs, his boats are empty again and mainly moored up at a marina in the holiday town of Merimbula, about a five-hour drive south of Sydney.
“Everyone was counting on Easter,” said Millar, who would typically run nine fishing and dolphin sighting tours a day at this time of year. “We lost all of our work because of the bushfires and then now just before Easter, we’ve been completely shut down again.”
Losses in the tourism sector currently total about A$9 billion ($5.6 billion) a month, with curbs on international flights and cruise ships, travel between states and major events canceled, according to industry group Tourism & Transport Forum Australia.
“The real recovery opportunity was seen as being the domestic market, and the next traditional busy season for the domestic market is Easter,” said Simon Spellicy, president of the Tourism Advisory Council for the New South Wales Business Chamber. “The curtailing of that through restrictions on travel, it’s taken away what was likely to be, if not the savior, then certainly a bit of a lifeblood.”
Tourism operators in Australia had hoped to capitalize on one of the final major holidays before winter after struggling through an extreme bushfire season. The infernos peaked in December and January, when authorities ordered tens of thousands of people on vacation in coastal or rural regions to return home.
The fires razed an area the size of England, killed more than 30 people and an estimated one billion animals, and cut off some tourist towns for week after roads were left impassable.
Australia last month closed its borders to non-residents, effectively halting international tourism, while many Australians this week received SMS messages from the government imploring them not to leave home during the Easter holiday. Police are warning they will patrol country roads, back streets, main highways and caravan parks to ensure people are complying with the restrictions.
In Lakes Entrance, a tourist spot famed for its inland waterways and pristine beaches about 320 kilometers (200 miles) east of Melbourne, streets are empty again as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions.
“The sad situation here is the same as in every town in Australia at the moment -- we are deserted,” said Shane Kidd, president of the Lakes Entrance Business and Tourism Association. “It’s just totally devastated our entire community.”
Total tourism spending in Australia reached a record A$152 billion in 2019, according to government data released Wednesday, which pre-dates any major impact from either the wildfires or coronavirus pandemic.
Even as travel curbs are eventually lifted, it’s unlikely the sector will see an immediate return to that growth, according to Spellicy. A weaker global economy will probably suppress international tourism, while some regional destinations will struggle to lure domestic or overseas travelers if businesses permanently shutter.
“Towns are likely to have fewer attractions, fewer cafes and restaurants, fewer of the things which make them vibrant and attractive destinations for tourists,” Spellicy said.
On the coast at Merimbula, Millar has already had to lay off some staff, and is focusing on maintenance work as he anxiously waits for signs that travel restrictions will be eased.
“The worry is that we could be out for six, twelve months,” he said.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
