Regional tourism operators struggling to survive with ongoing pandemic restrictions and impacts, says business owner and industry

First it was SARS, then the GFC, now Covid. Regional tourism operators fear that without government intervention, the pandemic will finish them off for good.

A regional tourism operator has told how he “can’t sleep at night”, fearing the industry will not survive ongoing Covid-19 economic impacts, unless immediate action is taken by the government.

Craig “Hassie” Haslam, of Port Lincoln, co-owner of Australian Wildlife Operators, who operate Nullarbor Traveller and Xplore Eyre tour companies, said regional tourism businesses are struggling to keep their heads above water as the pandemic continued to cause economic downturn.

Mr Haslam said before Covid, 95 per cent of the business he ran with his wife had been international travellers.

His tour groups arrange camping experiences between Adelaide and Perth, as well as boat journeys around the Eyre Peninsula, Flinders Rangers camping adventures and trips around the South West of Western Australia.

In a “normal” financial year, Mr Haslam would set up about 60 trips between Adelaide and Perth. His company completed just two in the last 15 months.

Craig Haslam, owner of tourism company Australian Wildlife Operators. Picture: Supplied

“It’s really challenging, to be truthful,” Mr Haslam said, after he noted that he had been forced to lay off several tour guides and operators due to a downturn in business.

“I’ve gone through SARS, the Global Financial Crisis and I’m thinking, ‘Yeah I’m still here’ … next minute we’ve had nearly two years of some really hard stuff.”

After international borders shut, he, and many other organisations, turned to interstate visitors, before extended lockdowns dealt another blow to the already suffering industry.

“I can’t sleep at night … my head’s just spinning thinking about how I can reshape myself next,” Mr Haslam said.

Government grants of $3000 were “well received” and helped the company to cover minor costs, Mr Haslam said, but it was not enough.

He said the federal government’s JobKeeper initiative had been a “god send” that allowed multiple staff to remain employed, but it had not saved the jobs of a large majority of tour operators and guide.

“The hardest part is calling service providers and explaining to them we’ve had cancellations,” Mr Haslam said.

“It was really … the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Tourism Industry Council SA chief executive Sean de Bruyn said hundreds of business were experiencing severe challenges.

“We have seen businesses close and to be honest, hundreds of businesses talking to us as an organisation about the financial stress they’re under,” he said.

Mr Haslam on one of his tours, before the pandemic caused a downturn in revenue. Picture: Supplied

Mr de Bruyn said that while TICSA was “absolutely grateful” for government support in the area, the two-week qualification window that existed to measure revenue and receive grants was unfair for tourism businesses where cashflow vastly varied.

“The losses businesses are taking on a weekly basis are significant,” he added.

“There’s still significant amounts of fees, charges and taxes these businesses are paying.”

Mr Haslam said if he “could wave a wand” he would happily declare his balance sheets to an accountant and show the state government the revenue loss, to receive extra support.

He said his company had missed out on $20,000 grants, as it was not recognised by the government as turning over more than $2m, falling short at $1.75m

The mental health of tourism operators was being tested, Mr de Bruyn said.

“There’s a lot of people out there that are physically and mentally fatigued, and as an organisation we are supporting people’s wellbeing, not just their business approach.”

At the time of writing, Mr Haslam had four full-time staff employed, with a large number of tour guides around the regions waiting for a phone call when conditions improve.

A state government spokesman said: “During the pandemic we have seen a huge boost for the majority of regional operators which has been driven by people keen to explore the State’s incredible attractions in our own backyard.”

“We have had seven months straight of record regional visitation.

“There are however a minority of operators who are doing it tough – especially those focused on interstate and international visitors.

“We will continue to listen to all businesses during these difficult times and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them as we approach the coming phases of our Covid transition plan.”