Queensland’s tourism sector given 24hrs to ‘turn back on’

Australia’s largest regional accommodation provider has hit out at Annastacia Palaszczuk for failing to consult on her surprise plan to reopen intrastate travel.

CEO of Discovery Parks Grant Wilckens. Picture: Morgan Sette

Australia’s largest regional accommodation provider has hit out at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for failing to consult on her surprise plan to reopen intrastate travel, saying the sector was given 24 hours notice to “turn back on”.

G’DAY Group chief executive Grant Wilckens, whose company manages Discovery Holiday Parks, endorsed the resumption of intrastate travel in the sunshine state but said it was disappointing the already struggling sector did not receive more warning before Sunday’s announcement.

“We were given just 24 hours to turn back on and we need to get staff back, safety signage in place, all that kind of thing – there’s a lot of work to be done and businesses that could have been ready just weren’t,” Mr Wilckens said.

New analysis by Discovery Holiday Parks showed regional tourism began to pick up in states without intrastate tourism restrictions but in Queensland and Western Australia, which delayed reopening to local tourists, the industry remained stagnant.

In South Australia, NSW and Victoria, where state governments have announced unrestricted movement on intrastate tourism, the company has seen a five-fold increase in bookings since restrictions were eased.

That compared to a two-fold increase in Queensland and WA, which have opted for a staggered approach to allowing intrastate tourism.

Queensland brought forward its easing of COVID-19 restrictions by almost two weeks on Sunday, allowing residents to travel statewide. Pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes could also seat up to 20 people from midday on Monday. However, Ms Palaszczuk has warned the state’s borders won’t reopen until at least July.

Mr Wilckens said rules around the return of intrastate tourism had unintentionally hindered tourism recovery, with states that had implemented regional movement restrictions “putting the hand break on operators”.

“It’s been interesting to see the difference in booking behaviour from state to state,” he said. “In Queensland and Western Australia, I think the rules have resulted in people being really wary and not booking. It’s perhaps a combination of confusion over what people are allowed to do, as well as the geographic restrictions being in place.”

Mr Wilckens said he was thrilled about the rebound seen in SA, NSW and Victoria.

“In SA and NSW in particular, bookings are fairly level with the same time last year. When you consider that the interstate market has been removed, it’s the local market taking up the shortfall in domestic bookings,” he said.

Scott Morrison has vowed to press ahead with plans to open up travel between New Zealand and Australia, irrespective of whether some states decide to keep their borders closed.

Mr Wilckens called on Australians to start making domestic travel plans.

“Australia is a beautiful place and places like Queensland especially need it, considering they didn’t have a good season because of the floods. It’s going to be a tough year,” he said.