COVID lockdown in Queensland: What it means for Gold Coast businesses

'Anxious' Gold Coast businesses are urging holidaymakers to hold onto their bookings, saying they still hope an Easter lockdown can be avoided on the Gold Coast.

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DESTINATION Gold Coast is urging holiday-makers booked for Easter to hold their nerve and monitor a rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation - and not dump bookings prematurely.

CEO Patricia O’Callaghan met with Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe on Tuesday.

Ms O’Callaghan said the meeting bolstered the tourism body’s confidence in the Queensland Government’s contract tracing regime and cemented hopes of a short-lived lockdown confined to Greater Brisbane.

It was expected Mr Hinchliffe would meet Destination Gold Coast again on Wednesday to provide more information as the tourism industry’s recovery teeters.

Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O'Callaghan

Ms O’Callaghan said the Coast was looking forward to a much-needed visitation boom and was preparing to welcome an influx, despite the everchanging COVID-19 situation.

“We had a meeting with the minister and a briefing with the industry this morning and the new cases were acknowledged, but again we’re putting our confidence behind the Queensland Health system and the contact tracing to manage the issue,” she said.

“Acting on the current advice, the Gold Coast still remains open for business. We are still asking Australians across the country to hold on to their bookings.

“We’re holding onto hope the Greater Brisbane lockdown will be over before Easter (as planned). Until we find out further information we’re only going off what we know today.”

She conceded the tourism body was “anxious” and there was “uncertainty in the industry”.

“(But) understanding the commitment the government is making to handle as swiftly and effectively as possible gives us hope,” Ms O’Callaghan said.

“Hopefully tomorrow there’s some positive information. The Easter period is absolutely critical to our recovery. The airport is looking close to reaching pre-COVID numbers. Our operators, our accommodation is reporting really solid bookings.

“We understand there is nervousness and uncertainty but we also want you (visitors) to know our message is we really need you at the moment.

“We’re asking everyone to hold their bookings as long as possible. Let’s get through tomorrow, let’s see what evolves overnight.”

Ms O’Callaghan pleaded with Coast residents to “do the right thing” and stick to health advice to stop the spread.

King Tutts Putt Putt Manager Phil Foster. Picture: Jerad Williams

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall has been calling for more transparent information from the government on the decision making regarding lockdowns and other preventive measures for months.

“We’re feeling around in the dark as businesses, as an industry. We have the ability to flex and bend with things like lockdowns but not knowing exactly how they work and what triggers them isn’t helping,” he said.

King Tutts Putt Putt owner Lynley Washington and manager Phil Foster were hoping Coast residents would back local businesses.

“(I hope) it will make everybody think about visiting local spaces and supporting the local businesses,” Mr Foster said.

“We’ve got to keep this contained, we don’t want to have to close down everything – we don’t even want to go there, we don’t even want to entertain that idea.

“I imagine there will be a lot of people from other states who will cancel their holiday, even though we’re not in Brisbane we’re pretty close, so hopefully we’ll have a lot of local trade and hopefully people (from the Coast) will still be wanting to go out and do things.”

Dracula’s Cabaret CEO Alfie Washington said the situation would “more than likely” affect their performance over the long weekend, but the Government was “doing the right thing”.

“If (the government) do a quick lockdown for three days, get on top of the contact tracing, and do what they need to do, then we’ll be back to normal before you know it,” he said.

“We’re very positive and buoyant, it’s not something we’re looking at negatively.

“We had this happen when we had the lockdown in January – it affected our numbers but it wasn’t catastrophic.

“We get a lot of clients from Greater Brisbane but at the end of the day it’s something that we, as a community, need to accept.

“This is the new reality and businesses need to be flexible.”

'WE'RE BACK TO THE BEGINNING': BRUTAL COAST BUSINESS CONCERN

GOLD Coast businesses gearing up for a bumper Easter holiday period and beginning to recover after a terrible year of trade in 2020 have been dealt yet another "heartbreaking" blow.

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said it could not be overstated how significantly the new Greater Brisbane lockdown would negatively impact the Coast.

"We were looking forward to high occupancy numbers on the Coast for Easter. We were seeing a partial return to numbers at Gold Coast Airport for the Easter weekend, with confidence starting to turn a little bit - but now we're back to the beginning of January again," he said.

"As always, we need people to do the right thing and not jeopardise the livelihoods of those outside of the lockdown area.

"The Gold Coast is living on a fine membrane as it is, yet alone getting directly impacted by an outbreak."

He expected the confidence of interstate tourists would nosedive amid uncertainty around lockdowns and other COVID-19 measures in Queensland.

"We can't blame people for not making plans, but it's certainly not what we needed right now with JobKeeper ending," he said.

Mr Hall was speaking to Destination Gold Coast about the lockdown mid-morning Monday and was expecting a hectic day in the wake of the State Government's shock announcement.

He said he was still seeking information regarding the decision making around lockdowns.

"As we've called for for months now, we need to understand the mechanisms behind the triggers for a lockdown and the ongoing triggers around extending lockdowns so we can work around things we know about," Mr Hall said.

"We're feeling around in the dark as businesses, as an industry."

Restaurant and Catering Industry Association (R&CA) CEO Wes Lambert said the lockdown was a "heartbreaking, crushing blow to the hospitality sector across southeast Queensland".

"With school holidays and Easter just days away the recently announced lockdown could be the final blow for many businesses who have spent more than 12 months struggling to survive." he said.

"However, this lockdown is different. There is no JobKeeper safety net for these businesses and little to no support will be forthcoming until after the lockdown is over.

"This means more staff stood down, up to $50 million in lost revenue and nearly $15 million in produce and stock thrown away, with more debt piling up.

 "With one of the busiest tourism periods upon us, this announcement means one thing for thousands of restaurants and cafes across not just greater Brisbane, but all of Queensland - chaos."

Mr Lambert said governments needed to back businesses.

"R&CA has been warning governments across the country that as long as lockdown remained an active policy response, business support needs to continue," he said.

"This recent lockdown should accelerate any plans for stimulus and support from the Queensland and Federal Governments."