According to the sector industry council, it is a mixed bag for tourist bookings ahead of South Australia’s winter school holidays.
Key points:
- Tour operators report mixed outlook for the winter season, with school holidays in South Africa starting today
- Tourism Industry Council says it will take ‘a number of years’ for international visitation levels to recover
- Some Limestone Coast tour operators are seeing high footfall, but others say it’s quieter compared to previous years
A record number of intrastate travelers has supported the industry during the pandemic, but this winter could be different with the opening of national borders and some international borders.
SA Tourism Industry Council chief executive Shaun de Bruyn said there was “not a consistent picture” across the state.
“There are a lot of South Australians coming into the state, there are interstate visitors coming in,” he said.
“But obviously at the same time we see international borders opening up and South Australians going overseas. »
Mr de Bruyn said lead times – the time between booking a trip and executing the trip – were much shorter than before the pandemic.
“Consumer confidence continues to rebound,” he said.
“Some visitor markets are cautious about booking trips too far in advance, they are still a bit uncertain.
” [Short lead times can be] a good thing in that it allows you to influence the market very close to the time of travel.
“On the other hand, it creates uncertainty for companies in terms of the staff they need. »
International visitors return
Mr de Bruyn said it was “going to take a number of years” to fully restore international visitation levels.
“There are gaps in the market in terms of the visits we are currently receiving,” he said.
“The anecdotes and some of the arrival data and some of the airline capacity indicate that there is still, particularly for international, a strong period of recovery ahead. »
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The co-owner of the Caledonian Inn in Robe Geoff Perst agreed.
“With all borders and international areas reopened now, there seems to be … a lot of people going back to the sun,” he said.
“We’ve lost that trade we’ve had the last two winters with a lot of South Australians coming down the Robe.
“What has not replaced it is international [travellers]. »
A beautiful summer on the horizon
But Mr Perst said the Victorian school holidays over the past two weeks had given the winter season a welcome boost.
“We have already seen an influx last week with Victorians, and even a kick in again at the weekend,” he said.
“We are a bit lucky. We enjoy an extended vacation period of four weeks with schoolchildren and families. »
Mr Perst said it had been “a noticeably quieter winter” compared to previous years during the pandemic.
“We had a very busy April school holiday…so it’s probably in the coffers at most Robe hospitality venues to get through a quieter winter,” he said.
Fuel prices keep travelers close to home
Beachport Caravan Park owner-operator Paul Benson said he thinks the winter season is busier than last year.
“It’s probably a little busier. People are going out a lot more,” he said.
“People now have the freedom to travel and they tend to do it whether the weather is terrible or not.
“Our lodgings, our cabins, our apartments, our hostel rooms and everything – they’ve been very busy. »
Mr Benson said some travelers who would normally head for the freeway have decided against it for financial reasons.
“There are people on a budget, and especially with fuel prices right now, it’s stopping a lot of people from traveling too far,” he said.
“We are finding that many South Australians, and now also Victorians, don’t have to travel far to join us in Beachport. »
Mr Benson said he has noticed more international travelers in recent months.
“It’s good to see they’re back. Good to see some normalcy. »