Mildura accommodation: Melbourne travel set to boost demand
With the “ring of steel” set to come down, tourism operators in Sunraysia are hoping Melburnians seek out sun in their own state.
Mildura
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Mildura’s tourism industry is ready to welcome back Melbourne visitors again.
Dealt a double blow by COVID-19 restrictions and border closures, operators were hopeful of a boost in demand as summer nears.
That hope grew when Premier Daniel Andrews announced Melbourne’s “ring of steel”, and a 25km travel limit for metropolitan residents, will be lifted on November 8.
Mildura Paddle Steamers marketing manager Ashton Kreuzer said it was a step in the right direction after a challenging year.
The company until recently was unable to take Victorian passengers onto the Murray River, which is part of New South Wales, effectively shutting its vessels down.
While some border restrictions still remain, an easing of rules in time for school holidays led to a “fantastic” fortnight of trade.
“Opening up metro Melbourne is just going to bring out that next wave of people,” Ms Kreuzer said.
“It’s another great step in the direction of recovering a little bit of what we hadn’t had the past six months.”
She was hopeful that NSW would follow by lifting its border block.
As it stands, the vessels cannot take passengers from regional Victoria and NSW at the same time, putting bookings such as weddings and Christmas functions at risk.
“Once the borders actually lift and there’s free travel across borders that will just help astronomically,” Ms Kreuzer said.
Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said the region was excited to see Melbourne tourists return.
He said those in lockdown dreaming of a getaway, but unsure what was in store for state borders, should look to Mildura.
“Clearly there will still be some restrictions on Victorians heading elsewhere and it’s always nice to head to the warmest part of the state,” he said.
Mr Millington said there were some positive signs in the accommodation sector after regional Victoria was opened up.
“We had seen some signs of starting to return to better numbers – 40, 50 per cent (of capacity),” he said.
“Usually 40 per cent of our market is from Melbourne and 20 per cent from South Australia, which we’ve had no access to, and 20 per cent New South Wales.”
Mildura Regional Development has in recent months promoted visits to Mildura with LED signage at AFL matches and a partnership with Bathurst runner-up Cameron Waters.
A bus campaign in major cities was about to start, while the Visit Mildura website has also undergone a revamp.
“We’ve spent a fair bit of time in the closed season, if you like, making sure the Mildura brand is strong in the market, particularly in Melbourne,” Mr Millington said.
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