Tourism takes tumble after Uluru climbing ban

Hoteliers and resort owners working in the shadow of Uluru have been hit by a tourism industry downturn.

West Australian nurse Victoria Stirling at Uluru. Picture: Chloe Erlich

Hoteliers and resort owners working in the shadow of Uluru have been hit by a tourism industry downturn, with prices being slashed by as much as 40 per cent.

Further south, tourism executives are experiencing the “worst summer on record”, with bushfires having cost the nation $2bn and fears the industry could take a $4.5bn hit.

The indigenous-owned Voyages, which operates five hotels and resorts, plus a 440-site camping ground, at Uluru, launched a cut-price promotion over the weekend.

Filling hotel beds at this time of year is always tough given the ­extreme summer heat, but the ­resorts are also suffering from a lack of tourists due to the closure of the Uluru climb in October.

Some estimate accommodation bookings are down as much as 10 per cent compared with the same time last year.

Voyages chief executive Grant Hunt said there was “no doubt we are having a soft summer … summers have always been soft, it is 44 degrees out there”.

“Having said that, we had a ­record November due to a record year for the campground and our forward bookings for April, May and June are looking pretty strong on booking pace (compared with) the same time last year.”

Luxury lodge owner James Baillie, of Baillie Lodges, is not immune to the accommodation slump, saying demand for his ­opulent 16-tent wilderness camp, Longitude 131, near Uluru, has softened since the climb closure.

A minimum two-night stay at Longitude 131 costs $1600 a night per person.

“We have certainly noticed the peak demand prior to the Rock closing dropping off,” Mr Baillie told The Australian.

“We are noticing soft (booking) patches in the new year, but we will definitely recover.”

AAT Kings managing director Matt Cameron-Smith, who operates 28 Uluru tours, is working closely with indigenous operators to develop new attractions, ­including indigenous food tours for the Japanese market to counter the effects of Uluru’s closure.

He said there was an artificial jump in the number of Japanese visitors prior to the climb’s closure, with airlines and hotels raising prices and making travel prohibitive for the domestic market. “There was a surge in Japanese wanting to climb,” Mr Cameron-Smith said.

AAT Kings is waiting to compare year-on-year figures on the outcome of the Uluru climb ­closure but said its numbers were flat for the domestic market.

Alice Springs-based The Rock Tour company, which sells $445 three-day camping trips to Uluru, said business was down after the closure but interest from overseas was still strong.

“When the climb closed it did die off but now in the new year we are absolutely bombarded with people to get on the tour,” a spokesman said.

West Australian nurse Victoria Stirling said walking around the base of Uluru would be a far better experience than climbing it.

“I thought the climb was too dangerous,” Ms Stirling said. “You want to look at it from a distance to get the best views.”

British tourist Victoria Wing has visited Uluru before and after the climb closure. The sports massage therapist from Portsmith said the closure made no difference to her.

“It’s just beautiful to come and see the rock,” Ms Wing said. “It’s just so different, it’s interesting to study the Aboriginal beliefs, it’s pretty incredible how loyal they are to everything, including the land.”

Voyages has also been selling accommodation packages to Uluru on the Luxury Escapes ­discount website, offering three nights at its five-star Sails in the Desert resort for $1099 — down from the usual $2105.

“We have gone into Luxury ­Escapes for the first time because of summer. It’s always difficult to generate visitation in the summer, particularly from Australians, ­because of the high temperatures,” Mr Hunt said.

Despite the soft bookings, airlines are offering more direct flights to Uluru than at any previous time.