Grave concern for Whitsundays’ tourism industry following devastation caused by Cyclone Debbie
BUSINESS owners say they’ve never seen anything like the destruction caused by Cyclone Debbie; some are ready to quit.
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IT’S one of Australia’s most iconic tourist destinations. Exclusive resorts leading to golden beaches fringed by swaying palms.
But the devastation wrought on Hamilton Island by Cyclone Debbie has been so total, the area “looks like it’s been napalmed,” one resident has said.
Local businesses have told news.com.au they’re worried that Debbie, which has caused more damage than previous cyclones, could have a lasting impact on the region’s economy.
A business owner on the mainland has already given up, declaring he will sell up after Debbie tore his motel apart.
One in three people in the Whitsundays is employed in the tourism industry with visitors pumping more than $600 million annually into the local economy.
A 2012 report by Deloitte Access Economics said the Whitsundays had been, “deeply affected by (2011’s) Cyclone Yasi,” despite it causing less damage than Debbie. Cyclones — along with coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, climate change and competition from Asian destinations — were some of the biggest challenges for tourism in Queensland.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said he was concerned travellers would cancel their bookings.
“When the images of disasters, strong winds, and uprooted trees go around the world and around Australia, some people incorrectly assume that all of Queensland is shut.”
Caroline Murray is the general manager at the Palm Bay Resort on Long Island, just off the coast of the mainland.
She told news.com.au she didn’t have to worry about people ringing and cancelling their bookings; the damage was so severe she was doing the ringing herself — warning visitors to change their plans.
“We were hitting a good level of occupancy and now we have to call people and tell them they can’t come. We had a 40th birthday party booked and we’ll have to cancel that too,” she said.
As Debbie approached, Ms Murray was the only person to remain at the resort having sent staff to the relative safety of the mainland.
“I’m a tough cookie but I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. It was 18 hours of battering; my house was constantly shaking and I was on my own thinking, ‘oh my god, what happens if it collapses’.
“We’ve had a category 4 come through before and it didn’t cause half the devastation of this one, because Debbie was so slow moving.”
Ms Murray said she was shocked when she surveyed the resort on Wednesday morning.
“The foliage, the vegetation, everything has been devastated.
“I hoped our platinum guesthouse would escape the damage but when I reached it the fridge freezer was on top of the front door, the roof had been totally pulled of, the balcony fencing had fallen and all of the indoor furniture went through the windows and was lying outside the house.”
Ms Murray said she had just four staff and clearing the debris could take up to three weeks while repair work could take longer and cost upwards of $150,000.
Just this week, the Palm Bay Resort completed the last section of upgrade work following Cyclone Marcia.
Thankfully, the resort’s beach houses survived the onslaught, but Ms Murray said the new damage was a bitter blow which had left her contemplating whether it was worth salvaging the resort.
“We’ve spent two years getting it back to what it was and we’ve just been hit again. Sometimes, I do think how I am going to build this up again. We only have a capacity of 60 people, and the money it will cost to repair everything is our entire profit for the year.
“We’re gutted but we’re resilient, we’ve done it before,” she added.
Not so Dave McInerney whose Shute Harbour Motel was severely damaged by Debbie.
“It depends a lot on the insurance,” he told AAP.
“More than likely it’ll be demolished and sold as a development site.
“These days it’s really not worth rebuilding a small business like this,” he said.
John Henderson, owner of Whitsunday Paradise Explorer, a business that conducts boat tours of the islands, said he was concerned visitor numbers would plummet.
“I think there has to be serious consequences for the tourism industry in the coming months”.
Lissa Morris, and her husband Hans, had high hopes their modern cyclone standard Hamilton Island home would survive Debbie. The damage on Wednesday morning told a different story.
“It’s devastating, we can’t get out of the house and outside so many trees have been uprooted it looks like Hamilton Island’s been napalmed.
“I’m still shaking, it was terrifying, horrific. I haven’t had a cigarette in years but I’m smoking now,” she said.
“We were totally protected, now we can see right through to the neighbours next door.”
She said there were two inches of water in every bedroom, the ceiling had collapsed and plaster was falling off the walls.
One of the gusts was so powerful it lifted the couple’s Foxtel dish into a nearby tree where it lodged tight. While they pondered how they could remove it, another gust ripped the dish out of the tree and sent it out to sea.
“I guess that problem was solved,” Ms Morris said.
While Debbie only officially reached category 4, Ms Morris said she suspected there may have been gusts of more than 280km/h over parts of the Hamilton Island which would make it a category 5 cyclone.
She had heard rumours of smashed infrastructure and tourist boats destroyed in the island’s harbour, she said.
“God knows how long it will take for the island to recover. Months and months at least.”
Two of the nearby Daydream Island’s iconic mermaids have been washed into the sea, victims of Debbie’s hammering. The resort also said there was significant damage to the resort’s jetty and pontoon and extensive damage to vegetation across the island, with many trees uprooted.
The roof of a spa and a boardwalk had been lifted away by the wind but no guests or staff had been injured.
“Daydream Island Resort and Spa has along with surrounding areas borne the brunt of Cyclone Debbie today,” a statement from the getaway destination read.
“Conditions were extreme with heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts causing damage to the resort and surrounds.
Hamilton Island Resort also said all guests were accounted for but power and light were still out.
Ms Murray pleaded with Australians to look beyond the immediate and destruction and supports the island.
“The Whitsundays are such a beautiful place. When we’re back on our feet, come back, get on board. We need to promote the Whitsundays as much as we can.”
Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer Leanne Coddington said the organisation’s thoughts were with those impacted by the cyclone.
“We are currently working with the tourism industry to identify impacts of Tropical Cyclone Debbie and provide support.
“Our industry is incredibly resilient and we stand ready to assist in the recovery period.”
Originally published as Grave concern for Whitsundays’ tourism industry following devastation caused by Cyclone Debbie
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