‘We need a date’: Holiday parks dealt yet another blow

Desperate operators of Sunshine Coast caravan parks believe their peak winter season will be effectively dead by August if the state’s borders remain closed.

Restrictions are in place around the world to contain the spread of Covid-19. Pictured, Mooloolaba Caravan Park. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

DESPERATE operators of Sunshine Coast caravan parks believe their peak winter season will be effectively dead by August if the state's borders remain closed.

Victorian and NSW holiday-makers bring an annual cash injection of $1 billion to the region and operators, the LNP reports.

It's understood tourists from the southern states could be banned from Queensland for months to come - another blow for the hard-hit sector.

Jason Filippini, who runs holiday parks at Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Coolum, said without the strong weekday numbers, some smaller parks wouldn't survive.

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"We rely on the winter warriors coming here and staying for eight to 12 weeks, not just the weekends," Mr Filippini said.

 

Nicole and Jason Filippini stand to work for free this year without the cash injection from holiday makers from NSW and Victoria. Photo Patrick Woods

 

"They're different to weekenders. They go to doctors, bowls clubs, pubs - they use it as a home away from home.

"If the borders aren't open by July 10, the winter season is done. They won't come in August.

"They don't stay for the September school holidays, so it won't be worthwhile."

Mr Filippini said the park was currently at 30 per cent capacity - this time last year it was nearly 100 per cent full.

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Even if the borders were to open tomorrow, Mr Filippini said he and his wife Nicole would be working for free this year.

"We will make next to nothing, it has all been lost in the past two months," he said.

Mudjimba Beach Holiday Park owner Tanya McSorley said the park could only reach capacity if the borders were open.

"Our winter season is our peak and it is effectively cancelled," Mrs McSorley said.

"We have so many Victorians come here who we rely on."

 

Restrictions are in place around the world to contain the spread of Covid-19. Mooloolaba Caravan Park. Pictured, The Wharf Mooloolaba. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

 

Mr Filippini said it was crucial that the premier provided a definite date on which the borders would reopen, so park operators could plan ahead.

Visit Sunshine Coast chair David Ryan said the Queensland market would provide some business for the operators, but direct competitors like the Gold Coast were provided five times the marketing funding.

"Naturally our businesses would benefit from the borders being opened, but we are equally conscious of ensuring the most up-to-date health recommendations are taken into consideration," Mr Ryan said.

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LNP leader Deb Frecklington slammed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's reluctance to reopen the borders.

"The border shambles is closing businesses and costing jobs on the Coast," Ms Frecklington said.

"Local jobs rely on almost one million tourists from the southern states coming north to the Coast every year and spending in the community.

"Interstate tourists pump more than $1 billion into the Coast every year.

"Labor's mixed messages about the border are creating an economic crisis for the Sunshine Coast.

"The LNP understands that businesses and visitors need certainty and so we support reopening our border to all Australians in July."

Ms Palaszczuk defended the decision to not open the borders at a press conference today. 

She said it was very difficult to differentiate what restrictions had caused what losses. 

"Closing the borders kept Queenslanders safe. We have just three active cases now thanks to all of our efforts including closing the borders," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"We closed those borders when we saw a concerning increase in the number of cases coming to Queensland from New South Wales and Victoria. That was the right decision. We made the right decision.

"That has kept Queenslanders safe. We have had one of the best responses in the world to this virus.

"Clearly that has had economic impact but I would argue we are now in the best place to unite and recover going forward because we are now not facing a massive outbreak of local transmission of COVID-19.

"So the decisions we took were purely motivated by the desire to keep Queenslanders safe and that is what we did."

 

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