Border blues for tourism operators as Jetstar, Qantas cancel hundreds of flights

Bookings have evaporated as Sydney residents remain in lockdown.

Noosa operators said Sydneysiders made up 20 per cent of their holiday bookings. Picture: Chris /Pavlich.

Jetstar and Qantas have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights out of Sydney, while a luxury Boxing Day cruise around Tasmania has been aborted, and bookings have evaporated to Hayman Island, as Sydney residents remain in lockdown despite just eight new Covid-19 cases reported on Wednesday.

About half of Jetstar’s cancellations, which begin from December 24 and will run until at least January 8, were out of Sydney to Queensland leisure destinations including Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and the Whitsunday Coast.

All Jetstar flights from Sydney to Perth, Avalon (Melbourne), Darwin, Townsville and Uluru have also been suspended amid border closures and restrictions.

In Queensland’s Whitsundays, the Mulpha Australia-owned Hayman Island, which had reopened a year ago after a major $135m refurbishment, had been reporting strong bookings from the residents of southern states until Queensland imposed its border lockdown.

Mulpha Australia chief executive Greg Shaw was disturbed by the Queensland government’s border closure which had resulted in a number of cancellations from Sydneysiders across the resort’s traditionally strong December to January holiday trading period.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” Mr Shaw told The Australian. “The 166-room resort was gearing up for an exceptional trading period through December and January and while we saw solid demand from Victoria, Sydney has been a strong source market for us and the closure of the borders has seen a big impact on revenues.”

He said the cancellations from Sydney began as soon as Queensland introduced its hard border restrictions.

In Cairns, Coral Expeditions commercial director Jeff Gillies said he had been forced to abandon a 40-passenger, six-night Yachtsman’s Cruise from Sydney to Hobart given most of the passengers hailed from Sydney. The cruise, costing more than $4000-per-person, was to follow the now-cancelled Sydney to Hobart yacht race embarking from Broken Bay on December 26.

“We cancelled because the government restrictions would not allow us,” said Mr Gillies, ­adding that all guests were from hotspots in Sydney. He said there had also been a small number of cancellations and deferrals for some of Coral’s Tasmanian cruises throughout the peak January to March season from some Sydney residents. The voyages include the $12,800-per-person, 16-night Circumnavigation of Tasmania via a Hobart round trip, and the cheaper 10-night $7299-per-person Coastal Wilds of Tasmania trip.

Near Uluru, Baillie Lodges founder James Baillie said his ­luxury accommodation resort Longitude 131 had sustained significant cancellations from Sydneysiders for December and January. But Baillie’s Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island had fared much better.

“So far we are very lucky because Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island is part of NSW, and we have had very little business from (Sydney’s) northern beaches,” he said.

Voyages Indigenous Tourism chief executive Matt Cameron Smith said he had had significant cancellations out of Sydney although many guests were ­hanging on to their bookings in the hope border restrictions would lift.

The Queensland government was taking cancellations from Sydney residents to its resorts in its stride, urging Queenslanders to snap up the empty hotel rooms.

Acting Queensland Tourism Minister Scott Stewart said the state had put in place a hard ­border excluding arrivals from Sydney until at least January 8 ‘‘following the growing number of COVID-19 community transmissions there”.

“Swift cancellations by Greater Sydney travellers will mean those (Queenslanders) who have missed out will be able to secure bookings … Right now there has never been a better time for Queenslanders to take a break in their own state for a world-class holiday experience,” said Mr Stewart, adding that Greater Sydney traditionally accounted for 10 per cent of ­summer holiday-makers to the Sunshine State.

Noosa operators said Sydneysiders made up 20 per cent of their holiday bookings.