Editor’s view: Now might be a good time to book a room in Cairns

Far North Queensland has been through a natural disaster and the media has a duty to report on it, but there are many tourist areas largely unaffected, writes the editor.

Far North Queensland is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and that’s not the idle boast of a proud Queenslander.

From Cairns alone you can find yourself in two World Heritage sites within an hour of travel – the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest at Daintree.

Yet this beauty, which has attracted visitors from across the globe and become a key feature of the wider Queensland economy, is frequently eclipsed by the images of devastation that, inevitably, are beamed around the world each time a natural disaster strikes.

The deluge which followed Cyclone Jasper has, once again, left the impression that the Far North is a no-go area.

Aerial image of Green Island off Cairns.

There have been, reportedly, $125m in cancelled bookings since media reporting on the floods began in earnest last weekend, equating to a loss of about 300,000 visitors.

The media has not merely a right but a duty to report on this matter, and the public airing of the personal loss associated with this sort of natural disaster is crucial in a democracy such as ours.

The nation needs to be made aware of the extent of the damage, and politicians need to be seen to visit the afflicted area and make judgments on assistance packages and recovery and reconstruction initiatives.

But these images of devastation should be balanced by acknowledgments that much of the north’s infrastructure remains very much intact, and many businesses remain largely unaffected by the heavy rains.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said this week that thousands of tourists remain in the area and popular locations including Mission Beach and the wider Cassowary Coast are very much open for business.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and Premier of Queensland, Steven Miles visit flood impacted locals in Holloway Beach. Pic: NCA NewsWire/ Emily Barker

By late this week, blue skies were back, and those beautiful gems dotting the coast north of Cairns, such as a Palm Cove, were busily hosting the thousands of visitors which often flock to the area at Christmas time.

Both the federal and state governments, to their credit, recognise the problem of damaging perceptions brought on by extensive media coverage.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday announced up to $5m for advertising campaigns to get out the message, both domestically and internationally, that the region is not a basket case, putting out the welcome mat to tourists.

The Cairns Aquarium has reopened. Pic by Brian Cassey

We should keep in mind how devastating the Covid years were to the North, proving a crushing financial blow to many hardworking tourism operators.

That sharp fall-off in tourism revenue only began easing in the latter stages of 2022.

Now, just as these tourism operators saw a chance to get back on an even financial keel, they were faced with this deluge.

It’s been a particularly cruel blow after nearly three years of struggle, and one which could possibly leave even those business owners with long experience of the caprices of North Queensland weather wondering if it’s worth their while continuing.

To that end, it might be time for fellow Queenslanders to reassure them of their worth.

The long summer beckons, and there are many families who have yet to make plans on what to do with their annual holidays.

Now might be as good a time as any to book a room in Cairns.

Katrina Weekes stands in the Ellis Beach holiday park with her daughter Riley, 7, and son Athan, 11, where huge landslides caused by flooding rain tore through the park on Sunday. Picture: Brendan Radke