Why Zac Efron and girlfriend’s move to Byron Bay will destroy tourism

There’s been lots of excitement around Hollywood heart-throb Zac Efron settling in Byron Bay, but not everyone is thrilled about it.

Zac Efron’s fans might be excited about his lengthy stay in Byron Bay but not everyone’s happy about suggestions the A-list star may be settling there for good.

As new photos of the Hollywood actor and his rumoured Australian girlfriend emerged, radio star Ed Kavalee said Efron’s possible move to the northern NSW coastal town was “terrible news” as it would spark an influx of celebrities and push prices up.

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“Where one goes, they all follow,” Kavalee said on the Hughesy & Ed radio show on Monday.

Zac Efron and Aussie girlfriend Vanessa Valladares hold hands on a lunch outing in Byron Bay. Picture: Media-Mode.com

Co-host Dave Hughes interjected to say he wanted the celebrities to come to town, to which Kavalee said, “No, why?”

“It’s already expensive, prices are gonna go through the roof,” he said.

“You’re gonna try to go to a cafe and they’ll be like, ‘Sorry, not today’ and you’ll be like, ‘What do you mean? There’s like four people in there’ (and they’ll say) ‘Yeah, I know, because (of) Efron and his buddies’.”

Ed Kavalee reckon Efron’s A-list influence will make Byron crowded and expensive.

“Nah, Efron’s not like that, he just blends in,” Hughes said, defending the Bad Neighbours star.

“Oh, get out of it,” Kavalee said.

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Byron Bay is already known for its celebrity residents, including Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, and regular A-list visitors like Matt Damon, who’s no stranger at the local Kmart.

Efron is understood to have arrived in Australia just before international borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has no plans to return to the United States anytime soon.

Efron has been hanging out in the celebrity enclave for months. Picture: Media-Mode.com

He is understood to be hiding out in Byron Bay, where he reportedly met his Australian girlfriend, Vanessa Valladares, who was working at the Byron Bay General Store cafe.

The pair were snapped walking through the town with takeaway lunches, shortly after they were pictured disembarking a humble Jetstar flight in Ballina airport, returning home from a ski trip in Thredbo.

Hi there, Zac. Picture: Media-Mode.com