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<\/p>\nThe manager of a Far North Queensland caravan park says they have lost about $35,000 in bookings due to concerns over fuel prices and availability, as the industry calls for state and federal government support for operators.<\/p>\n
Besko Halilovic, who started as manager at Crystal Cascades Caravan Park almost two months ago, said more people were ringing up to cancel than to book a spot.<\/p>\n
“It seems like this season is ruined,” he said. “That’s how it feels.”<\/p>\n
He said the number of people citing fuel as the reason for cancelling had led staff to create a special category to track the impact it was having.<\/p>\n
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Besko Halilovic says when cancelling their bookings, people tell him they can not afford the fuel for their driving holiday. (ABC News: Christopher Testa)<\/p>\n
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is calling for a support package worth about $50 million from the state and federal governments to help businesses with cash flow and retaining their workforce over the next 90 days.<\/p>\n
“We are looking at an industry that is trying to keep their staff retained for when people are travelling in volume again,” QTIC chief executive Natassia Wheeler said.<\/p>\n
“If you lose that workforce, how do they remain open seven days a week and accept people and deliver on the expectations?”<\/p>\n
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Natassia Wheeler says the industry is trying to keep staff retained for when business picks up again. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)<\/p>\n
According to QTIC, the industry supplies more than 277,000 jobs and $43 billion of visitor cashflow across Queensland, with regional destinations most effected by transport dependencies.<\/p>\n
Concerns during ‘core months’<\/p>\n
Caravan Parks Association of Queensland chief executive Michelle Weston said operators relied on tourists visiting in the winter months to keep them running right through summer.<\/p>\n
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Michelle Weston says operators in north Queensland lose money during the summer. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)<\/p>\n
“Outside south-east Queensland, most caravan parks in Queensland actually run cashflow negative through summer, which means they earn all of their income through those winter months,” she said.<\/p>\n
Chrizelle Zwick, who manages Lake Placid Rainforest Retreat in Far North Queensland, said the “fuel dilemma couldn’t have happened at a worse time”.<\/p>\n
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Chrizelle Zwick wants the government to reassure the public about fuel supply. (ABC News: Christopher Testa)<\/p>\n
“June, July and August \u2014 those three months are what prop us up for what carry us through the rest of the year,” she said.<\/p>\n
“[They are] our core months that keep us alive, so if we’re sort of having problems in those months it’s really significant damage to the business.”<\/p>\n
Information ‘the ace up the sleeve’<\/p>\n
Sydneysiders Kerrie Murphy and Carin Vernier are on a dream retirement lap of Australia but have had to rethink their itinerary due to concerns around fuel availability.<\/p>\n
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Kerrie Murphy and Carin Vernier are rethinking their dream retirement holiday due to concerns around fuel availability. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)<\/p>\n
“At this stage, we’re probably only going to get as far as north Queensland,” Ms Murphy said.<\/p>\n
They are cautious of travelling to remote locations as they are concerned about the availability of fuel.<\/p>\n
“We definitely decided that we would just stick to the coast where hopefully fuel availability was good,” Ms Vernier said.<\/p>\n
To give both tourism and operators certainty, Queensland Bus Industry Council executive director Jason O’Dwyer would like the federal government to create a publicly accessible fuel dashboard.<\/p>\n
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Jason O’Dwyer says public information on fuel availability would give everyone confidence. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)<\/p>\n
This comes after Premier David Crisafulli called on the federal government last month for a national fuel dashboard.<\/p>\n
Mr O’Dwyer said having information on supply publicly available would give confidence to both operators and tourists.<\/p>\n
“In a crisis, cash is king, however the ace up the sleeve is information,” Mr O’Dwyer said.<\/p>\n
“It’s really important that organisations have an idea that they can do tours and then go out and come back and bring passengers home.”<\/p>\n
Caravan park operator Murray McLay said bookings had softened across his two venues in Yeppoon and Keppel Sands.<\/p>\n
“At this stage, it’s a wait-and-see; we’re certainly down on income with the cancellations,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Murray McLay would like to see more certainty around fuel supply. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)<\/p>\n
Mr McLay said he was confident that the industry could weather the storm, but that a national fuel dashboard could help ease travellers’ anxieties.<\/p>\n
“They’re not worried about if it’s $2.40 or $2.70. It’s, ‘if I go to the servo, I want to be able to fuel up’.”<\/p>\n