Rise in bookings in Phillip Island after Melbourne’s easing of restrictions announcement
Phillip Island tourism and accommodation operators are celebrating news the ‘ring of steel’ will lift from November 9, with places booking up fast.
Bass Coast News
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Phillip Island tourism and accommodation operators are celebrating a bookings bonanza after news the ‘ring of steel’ will be scrapped from midnight on November 8.
IM Glamping owners India Payne and Melodie Shakespear said the phones had been ringing hot since Premier Daniel Andrews announced Melburnians would be able to head back to regional Victoria within a fortnight.
“We’ve got two available weekends left in November which is amazing as we were unsure how things would go due to COVID-19,” they said.
“We’ve had bookings for the Christmas period already which is very exciting!”
The San Remo glamping company said there’s been a mixture of people booking from regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne.
“Last year was a very busy year for us so we are hoping to keep up that same pace this year,” Ms Payne and Ms Shakespear said.
“We are grateful that restrictions are easing so we get to continue what we love and those who deserve a break get one”.
Phillip Island Nature Parks said they are “thrilled” with Monday’s announcement but there were still limits to the number of people that could attend the Penguin Parade.
“We have certainly seen an overnight increase in interest, however as we are currently operating with a maximum capacity of only 50 visitors per night at the Penguin Parade,” they said.
“We don’t currently have a lot of scope to accept any additional bookings but we are hopeful that we will be in a position to increase our visitor capacity soon, in order to allow for more visitors from both regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne”.
Destination Phillip Island general manager Kim Storey said it was “wonderful” news for the regional – and the entire state.
“The local tourism industry is busy preparing their operations to welcome visitors from Melbourne again after November 8,” she said.
“Delivering visitor experiences in a COVID-19 safe way is a top priority to support our community, staff and visitors”.
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