Cairns tourism industry relief at Easter holiday booking surge

Healthy accommodation bookings and encouraging flight arrival figures offer a lifeline to a tourism sector in crisis ahead of the JobKeeper shut-off.

HEALTHY Easter holiday accommodation bookings and encouraging flight arrival figures for April come as a lifeline to a tourism sector in crisis ahead of a JobKeeper shut-off slated for Sunday.

Increased confidence in domestic travel driven by the COVID vaccination rollout and a new capital city marketing campaign has meant Cairns is one of the most Googled destinations nationwide.

Responding to the uptick in confidence, 46 per cent of tourism attractions trading in January have now increased to 63 per cent.

Forward bookings for the upcoming Easter school holidays indicate Cairns will experience its biggest tourism period since 2019. Friends Deryn Cox, Caitlyn Robinson, Mark McVeigh, Rhiannon McIntosh and Emily Walmsley are spending two weeks holidaying in the Far North together from Brisbane. Picture: Brendan Radke

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Demand is so great there have been concerns raised about hire car availability for the fly-drive visitor market.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen was encouraged by forward bookings for Easter, May, June and July.

“We are hearing from our operators — Port Douglas with average occupancy through Easter of 70-80 per cent — so if you haven’t already booked, you best get on and do that job tonight,” Mr Olsen said.

He said the Cassowary Coast, Cape York and western savannah regions had also fielded solid interest from holiday-makers.

“So (there are) positive signs across the region. Cairns is running at about 60-70 per cent already pre-booked for Easter,” he said.

Head of Aviation for North Queensland Airports Garry Porter and Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We know (tourism) is a $64bn industry and Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are in prime position to gain market share.

“And we need the capacity to convert this great confidence into cash into the till.”

However that capacity has been reduced by experienced tourism and hospitality staff leaving the sector for better job security in other industries.

“Skills shortages are definitely a concern, not only up here in our region but right across Australia in the tourism industry,” Mr Olsen said.

After slashing staff at the height of the pandemic, Crystalbrook Collection area general manager Joel Gordon said they were now hiring off the back of solid peak season bookings.

“From April through to July, there seems to be some really great pick-up coming into the destination, which is great to see,” he said.

“We need to start preparing for that.”

Brisbane friends Deryn Cox and Mark McVeigh won a $200 gift voucher to spend in the Far North on their holiday. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns Airport head of aviation Garry Porter said domestic arrivals had been steadily getting back to pre-COVID passenger levels.

“Easter is looking very positive for us. We are looking at (similar to) 2019 Easter numbers,” he said.

“This month we are looking at 45,000 seats a week; April we are jumping back to 65,000 to nearly 70,000 seats. And around 280,000 passengers for April, which is the best month we have had since 2019.

“(With) half-price fares on sale next week, we have seen an immediate uplift in our passenger volume. (This) really is a springboard for our region into the months ahead.”

A snorkeller at Flynn Reef. Picture: Tourism Queensland

Lucky to secure $200 travel vouchers, Brisbane residents Deryn Cox and Mark McVeigh have been making the most of a tropical getaway.

“We’re pretty happy with what we got,” Mr Cox said.

The pair, holidaying with friends, spent a week in Cairns before heading further north to Port Douglas, the Daintree rainforest and Paronella Park.

Originally published as Cairns tourism industry relief at Easter holiday booking surge