Lost holiday business a bitter cost for hard-hit NSW south coast

A heavy economic impact from lost business during the peak holiday period will also hit NSW’s fire-affected south coast.

The devastating costs to lives and property from bushfires still raging through the south coast of NSW will be trailed by the heavy economic impact of lost business during­ the peak holiday period.

Summer is the busiest time for the area, with tens of thousands of holidaymakers flocking to towns in the shires of Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley.

Tourism is a significant contributor to the regions’ economies, as well as a major employer.

In the Eurobodalla shire, which includ­es heavily fire-affected towns such as Batemans Bay, Broulee and Moruya, tourists spent $387m in 2018.

Tourists spent $713m in the northern shire of Shoalhaven, which includes popular and fire-ravaged areas around Jervis Bay and Ulladulla.

Almost one in 10 people in the south coast workforce works in tourism, according to REMPLAN data. That includes those em­ployed across retail, accommodation, cafes and restaurants, and cultural and recreational services.

The south coast of NSW is beautiful but it is generally poorer and older than the country as a whole, suggesting the fires are also likely to affect Australians more vulnerable to financial and physical emergencies.

Median incomes across the three regions is about $37,000, against close to $48,000 for the ­nation. Unemployment is at 8.9 per cent across Eurobodalla, and 8.2 per cent in the Shoalhaven, ­according to the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, well above the national jobless rate of 5.2 per cent.

The median age of residents in Eurobodalla is 54, on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, against a national average of 37, ­reflecting the large number of retirees who settle in the region.

Even before the catastrophic New Year’s Eve fires, authorities were already warning visitors to reconsider travel to the area.

In the immediate post-Christmas period, business owners were reporting increased cancellations and slower than usual activity and light traffic on roads usually bumper-to-bumper with visitors.