Holiday season spells good news at last for local businesses
AFTER a horror year, it’s heartening to see that NT businesses finally have something to be positive about as more Territorians holidaying at home combined with an influx of coronavirus refugees from interstate leads to something of a Christmas holiday business boom.
Opinion
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TO say 2020 has been a challenging year for local businesses would be a massive understatement.
Since it first reached Australia in March, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in NT restaurants, cafes and bars closing their doors for weeks on end, shopping centres sitting abandoned and thousands of workers losing their jobs altogether.
But it seems the clouds are finally starting to part for a sizeable proportion of NT businesses, as more Territorians holidaying at home this festive season combined with an influx of coronavirus refugees from interstate has led to something of a Christmas holiday business boom.
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In recent months hospitality venues have reportedly been inundated with Christmas bookings, speciality stores have sold out of stock and had to bring on more staff to meet demand and retailers have recorded impressive Boxing Day sales results.
Businesses of all sizes have reported an increase in trade compared to the same time last year – including a 25 to 30 per cent rise at one local business – and many say it has been their best holiday season in years.
And with COVID-19 likely to remain a significant presence in all of our lives until at least early 2021, there is reason to hope these improved business conditions could continue for some time to come.
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It’s heartening to see local businesses being able to finish such a difficult year on such a positive note.
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