It was the news tourism operators in the Douglas Shire had been waiting for, and following the announcement that borders will reopen to all of New South Wales and Victoria from 1 December, airlines, accommodation houses, and tour operators have all seen a boost in activity.

On Tuesday, Virgin Australia experienced its single largest day of sales since before COVID-19.

A Virgin spokesperson said following the announcements bookings for the Sydney to Cairns route and Melbourne to Cairns route were up by approximately 40 per cent compared to the same booking period last year.

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“Sydney to Cairns is showing particularly strong demand for the weeks leading up to Christmas,” the spokesperson said.

“Both the Sydney to Cairns and Sydney to Melbourne routes were in the top 10 searches yesterday.”

Virgin will increase its Melbourne to Cairns route to five services per week from 14 December, increasing to daily services by Christmas while its Sydney to Cairns services will increase to four per week from 1 December, increasing to daily services by Christmas.

Qantas and Jetstar have also announced they will operate more than 1200 extra return flights into the Sunshine State from New South Wales and Victoria in the lead up to Christmas.

Qantas will run seven weekly return flights from Sydney to Cairns during December, up from zero, and Jetstar will run 24 up from just three, while Qantas will run four weekly Melbourne to Cairns services. 

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Port Douglas ready for an influx

Steve Edmondson, owner of reef boat tour, Sailaway, said he is extremely delighted and relieved.

“We have had a good uptake in bookings and enquiries immediately after the announcement,” he said.

Mr Edmondson said visitor's desire to travel to the region never stopped and now that borders are opening, they have the confidence again to book.

Mr Edmondson said they are ready and waiting for the influx, having already hired extra crew ready to increase their daily services.

“Because we have been active all the time, we are ready to see that uptake and deliver exceptional services.

“We are taking the breaks off,” he said.

Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree CEO, Tara Bennett, said the border opening has delivered an enormous lift to the local tourism industry.

“Not just in spirits but the solid bookings that have flooded in since the announcements,” she said.

“So far this is building on the Christmas New Year bookings already in place, adding numbers throughout December, January and well into 2021. The next step is for aviation access to meet the pent-up demand we are expecting.

“While this year will go down as the toughest in tourism for the Douglas Shire, I have been heartened by the sense of unity, support and compassion the community has shared, their fortitude needs to be commended and I’m confident that the tourism industries resilience will be rewarded with strong visitation in 2021.”

Sam Cullen from the Port Douglas Magazine and Online Travel Planner also confirmed online enquiries for Port Douglas accommodation has tripled in the last four days.

“Not only accommodation but visitor enquires for experiences, dining pages and direct business information have also doubled,” he said.

“I fully expect all businesses to not only see an increase in referrals from the Travel Planner but directly as well.”

Simon McGrath, Chief Executive Officer for Accor Pacific, said the decision to open the borders is welcomed.

“Whilst too soon to know the full impact of the borders reopening, early indicators are that forward bookings are looking reasonable for summer and there are still some great deals to be had,” he said.

“This will bring hope for the many thousands of Queenslanders employed in the tourism industry, it is good for local businesses, the economy and jobs. Our teams look forward to welcoming back the many regular and of course new guests to our Hotels and Resorts in Port Douglas and the region from Sydney and Victoria.”