Border to bust open: Gold Coast operators prepare for flood of interstate travellers
The owner of a popular Gold Coast watering hole is shrugging off blowback for his strong stance against unvaccinated patrons, after critics said they hoped he goes bankrupt.
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The owner of a popular Gold Coast watering hole is shrugging off blowback for his strong stance against unvaccinated patrons, after critics said they hoped he goes bankrupt.
Burleigh Pavilion owner Ben May was quoted in Saturday’s Bulletin telling anyone who wasn’t vaccinated against Covid to “forget about” trying to enter from December 17 when mandates kick in for hospitality venue patrons.
“If you are unvaccinated and want to be stupid enough to try and enter our venue, you can forget about it. If someone can’t get a coffee or something to eat because they aren’t vaccinated then I don’t really care.
“If it means they can’t get into Burleigh Pavilion then bad luck. They’ve known for months this is the way it’s going to be,” he said in Saturday’s Bulletin.
Mr May reshared the Bulletin’s post about his comments to his Instagram, writing: “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Readers comments were divided with some applauding Mr May and others hoping he would go bankrupt.
“Applause for this responsible business owner. Doing the right thing by the community, the majority of whom are doing the right thing by themselves, their families and their communities. The loud minority of anti-vaxxers can go elsewhere,” Sara Carter said.
“I’m sure they will be devastated to see the handful of people who have never visited and had never planned to visit saying they will boycott,” Calvin Swain said.
Jase Mahon added: “So he is still open to 80 per cent of the population. At least he is putting the health and wellbeing of his staff and customers (first). Those unvaccinated who think he will go broke, I doubt he is going to miss you.”
Some readers, both vaccinated and not, said they would never go back to the venue.
Tanya Boyle said: “How sad it has come to this, people turning on their fellow human beings like this … Well I will never be a patron of your establishment as you have a bad attitude.”
“Such discrimination should be rewarded by bankruptcy. How sad to think people can turn on others so easily,” another said.
“I’m double vaxxed and there’s no way I’ll be walking through those doors. You’re discriminating and your attitude is arrogant. You’ll come crashing down off your pedestal,” Rebekah Jane said.
“I’m double vaxxed and lived in Burleigh for 12 years. It will be a long time before I choose to spend my dollars somewhere with this degree of empathy,” Steven Brown said.
The mandate for vaccinated patrons only applies to just about all non-essential venues. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said everyone should be able to go “get a cup of coffee”.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12:
It’s the great, history-making reopening.
Hospitality, tourism and accommodation operators across the Gold Coast are gearing up for border walls to come crashing down on Monday, December 13.
Business owners are frantically preparing for a tidal wave of interstate tourists to come flooding into the city when the clock strikes 1am.
Burleigh Pavilion owner Ben May said staff were “ready and prepped” and would welcome border-blocked diners back to the Gold Coast with “open arms.”
“I’m well aware that many people in Sydney are keen to hit the Gold Coast. I’m excited, my sons are excited. There’s a real buzz down here,” he said.
Conversely, he said Gold Coasters would be keen to “get out”, saying day trips to Byron Bay and Lennox Head were “sorely missed” by residents who hadn’t been able to travel south.
Mr May said the Burleigh Pavilion bounced back during the first year of the pandemic, but by year two saw a “wind-down” in weekday trade.
“After a phenomenal summer last year the numbers show we are down by quite a bit this year. But we are still trading and we are still trading profitably.
“Interstate travellers staying on the Gold Coast need somewhere to eat and drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so we felt those losses pretty significantly.”
However, Mr May said losses were felt the hardest for his Sydney-based business, Manly Wharf Hotel, where “we lost a fortune,” he said.
He said the Pav’s saving grace during tough times was its unique positioning on the “magic” Burleigh headland and “enduring support from local customers.”
“There’s nowhere else in Australia like it. We are incredibly lucky to have secured such an incredible spot. What we have created at Burleigh is really an unbeatable formula.”
While Mr May was enthusiastic about welcoming diners back to the venue, he pulled no punches when it came to the state government’s vaccine mandates.
HAVE YOUR SAY ON QUEENSLAND’S VACCINATION MANDATES HERE
“If you are unvaccinated and want to be stupid enough to try and enter our venue, you can forget about it,” he said.
He said security would be ramping up for the border reopening and staff would be on the lookout for anyone trying to breach the rules.
Mr May weighed in on the disagreements Mayor Tom Tate voiced with state government in relation to the mandates.
Mayor Tate said he “encouraged businesses to follow the law” while not “entirely agreeing with it”.
He said “I’m pro-choice, so if you’re unvaccinated my personal opinion is that you should be able to go in and buy a cup or coffee or drink a beer.”
But Mr May said: “The argument all becomes (negated) if everyone goes out and gets vaccinated.”
“We all know that the only way out of this is vaccination. We’ve known that in Sydney for a very long time.
“There’s the one in 20 that isn’t vaccinated and we now have to ask why aren’t they?”
He said it was “stupid and selfish” to not get on board with the Covid-19 vaccination rollout.
“If someone can’t get a coffee or something to eat because they aren’t vaccinated then I don’t really care.
“If it means they can’t get into the Burleigh Pavilion then bad luck. They’ve known for months this is the way it’s going to be.”
Ravinder Dehsi, General Manager of JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa said operations were “ramping up” for the border reopening with the recruitment of more staff and an array of new programs.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the borders opening and welcoming our guests from other states back to Gold Coast,” he said.
“We’ve seen a strong influx of bookings come through for the Christmas period right through the school holidays and into the new year ahead of the border reopening announcement.
He said JW Marriott Gold Coast would follow Queensland Health directives for all hotel guests and staff, including mandatory check-in via the QLD Check-In App along with proof of double vaccination required upon entry to the resort.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks COO Bikash Randhawa said the border reopening was “wonderful news for the entire tourism industry.”
“Our team are busy preparing and are excited to start welcoming our interstate visitors back to our properties,” he said.
“With the pent-up demand from these markets, we are expecting to see strong visitation to our parks over the summer period, and with a great line-up of new attractions, it is the perfect time for them to be welcomed back.”
Mr Randhawa said similar to entire tourism industry, Village Roadshow was “hugely impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions and border closures, with visitation limited to locals only.”
“We see the borders reopening as the light at the end of a very tumultuous tunnel and are hopeful for a strong summer period.”
Mr Randhawa said the Queesnland border reopening would mark the beginning of the tourism industry’s post-pandemic recovery.
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