By Andrew Heasley
Victorians, where are you? Gold Coast bookings have fallen.
IT NEVER rains but it pours. Victoria’s floods have added to problems for Queensland hotel and resort operators facing a sea of empty rooms during the September school holidays.
A high Australian dollar is already driving away international visitors from the Sunshine State.
Now hundreds of Victorians from flood-devastated areas have cancelled their Queensland holiday plans.
A high vacancy rate means there is heavily discounted accommodation available in Victorians’ favourite Queensland playground, the Gold Coast.
‘‘It’s empty, absolutely empty,’’ said Steve Likidis, whose business, Queensland Gold Coast Holidays, offloads empty hotel and resort rooms at heavy discounts on behalf of big-name hotels and resorts through his website, www.qldgoldcoastholidays.com.au.
He said some Gold Coast resorts were facing a vacancy rate of more than 60per cent this month, despite airlines delivering 60,000 passengers on 346 flights a week.
‘‘There’s a lot of people coming up [from Victoria] but we’ve still got loads of vacancies,’’ Mr Likidis said. ‘‘It’s woeful at the moment.’’
Some resorts must be doing better than others, as Tourism Queensland’s Gold Coast division was upbeat about the September holiday outlook, citing figures that more Melburnians are visiting the Gold Coast now than before the global financial crisis struck.
Mary Mourgelaf, director for the Gold Coast and hinterland, said some operators had indicated that accommodation was ‘‘starting to fill up quite quickly. They’re looking at higher occupancy than this time last year.
‘‘Things are looking good for September here.’’
Queensland Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor agreed. ‘‘Given the anecdotal feedback we’re receiving from Queensland tourism operators, together with the results we’ve seen in visitation from Victoria earlier this year, we expect Melburnians will continue the trend and be the key domestic market driving bookings for Queensland during the coming September school holidays,’’ he said.
But Mr Likidis said bookings from international travellers, typically from Britain and New Zealand, had ‘‘dried up’’.
‘‘The overseas market has dropped off totally, it’s non-existent’’ he said. ‘‘The dollar’s too high.’’
To make matters worse for Queensland tourism, the Victorian winter, ordinarily the inspiration for a sunny holiday up north, has conspired to hold people back.
The floods that followed last week’s downpour have led to a rush of cancellations from affected people in Benalla, Wangaratta, Shepparton and Echuca, many of whom traditionally drive to Queensland during the school break.
‘‘We’ve had hundreds of people who are flooded, and if they’re not flooded, they’re helping people who are,’’ Mr Likidis said.
‘‘I’ve had eight cancellations from Benalla today.
‘‘And it’s just not one town, it’s a whole affected area.
‘‘We depend on them coming up.’’
But for latecomers, there were ‘‘unheard of’’ holiday bargains, he said. ‘‘All my resorts have got vacancies and all have dropped their surcharges.’’
How about ocean-view, million-dollar apartments in the 4-star Crest at Main Beach for $499 for four people for six nights? Or five nights at the Grande Florida resort for four people for $539, down from $1000.
While The Age spoke to Mr Likidis, he received a message from Mermaid Waters’ Sailfish Cove resort, saying ‘‘SOS, vacancies, we can now offer five nights for six people at $550’’ in a three-bedroom apartment.
And it’s not just his site offering deals. Online clearance sites lastminute.com.au and wotif.com still have plenty of discount options in the school holidays across the main holiday destinations of the Gold Coast, Noosa, Cairns and Port Douglas, among others.
‘‘There is availability, but don’t leave it to the last minute,’’ saidTourism Queensland’s regional director for the tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, Jeff Gillies.
‘‘Port Douglas has a lot of accommodation options up there and apartments, so there’s still some availability there, as there is in Palm Cove.’’
But Queensland operators are up against stiff competition from near overseas destinations, such as Bali, Fiji and Thailand. Qantas reports a jump in interest for Hawaii, and is adding extra flights.
Flight Centre has a 40 per cent discounted Fiji holiday, with return Pacific Blue airfares and four nights at Club Fiji Resort for $799 a person, for travel from September 15 to December 20, subject to availability.
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