Border closures continue to wreak havoc
Tourism
The Douglas Shire has been brought to its knees because of border closures and there is clearly no light at the end of the tunnel.
Tara Bennett, CEO of Tourism Port Douglas Daintree (TPDD), the region’s tourism authority, said today border closures continue to wreak havoc on visitor numbers in Douglas.
“International arrivals, which pre-COVID provided 585,000 annual room nights, have of course come to a complete halt,” she said.
Her comments come in the wake of the latest United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) data which shows that between January and May, international tourist arrivals were 85 percent below 2019 levels – or a 65 percent drop on 2020.
AccomNews, who released the data, said despite a small uptick in May, the emergence of COVID-19 variants and the continued imposition of restrictions are weighing on the recovery of international travel.
Ms Bennett said domestic visitation was helping to fill the void until recent border closures dropped occupancy from 85 percent to approximately 40 percent throughout the region.
“The numbers will remain low overall until Queensland opens up to Victoria and South Australia in the short term, and eventually New South Wales when the COVID situation improves.
“The drive market is the exception as it continues to perform very well with van parks at capacity for the coming months,” she said.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, Ms Bennett said the region’s accommodation sector is holding strong bookings through until October; and time will tell if these bookings can be realised based on state borders.
According to AccomNews, domestic tourism continues to rebound in many parts of the world.
The data shows that over the first five months of the year, world destinations recorded 147 million fewer international arrivals (overnight visitors) compared to the same period of 2020, or 460 million less than pre-pandemic year of 2019.
However, the data does point to a relatively small upturn in May, with arrivals declining by 82 percent (versus May 2019), after falling by 86 percent in April. This slight upward trend emerged as some destinations started to ease restrictions and consumer confidence rose slightly.
International tourism is slowly picking up, though recovery remains very fragile and uneven. Rising concerns over the Delta variant of the virus have led several countries to reimpose restrictive measures.
In addition, the volatility and lack of clear information on entry requirements could continue to weigh on the resumption of international travel during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season.
However, vaccination programmes around the world, together with softer restrictions for vaccinated travellers and the use of digital tools such as the EU Digital COVID Certificate, are all contributing to the gradual normalization of travel.