Tourism spending in regional Victoria eclipses Melbourne for the primary time

However, around one in four Victorians said they wanted to travel regionally over the Easter holidays – the highest proportion in the country.

COVID-19 outbreaks and subsequent lockdowns like those in Victoria in February and Brisbane this week have made potential travelers less willing to cross state lines and dashed the hopes of tourism companies who had hoped interstate tourism would see the loss of would compensate for international visitors.

Felicia Mariani, head of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council, says the sector needs government help.

“The snap limit [closures] and bans mean that everyone is paranoid if they get stuck, ”said Ms. Mariani.

Kristyn Slattery, chair of the Bendigo Motels Association, said 12 tour groups have canceled their motel bookings since Brisbane’s lockdown. Many of these cancellations were Victorians planning to reunite with Queensland relatives.

“People are concerned about planning a vacation and then ripping it out from among them,” said the owner of the Julia-Anna Inn.

Margy Osmond, executive director of Tourism & Transport Forum, said consumers were booking their vacations at the last minute in hopes of avoiding border closings. She has also noticed a resurgence in road trips, which she said was a “big vacation trend”.

Victorians enjoying the sights and tourist towns of their own state after months of tough lockdown restrictions.
Recognition:Justin McManus

Tourism in capital cities across Australia was hit harder by the pandemic than in regional areas. According to Tourism Research Australia, overnight travel fell by 52 percent.

While some operators struggled to attract as many interstate visitors as they would like, Melburnians flocked to regional destinations.

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Ms. Nolan-Cook said some accommodation providers reported fully booked on weekends until the middle of the year after a busy summer.

“It sure has felt like it’s gotten busy over the last month,” she said.

Ms. Nolan-Cook said border closings had an impact on travel decisions and some Melburnians were reluctant to take the risk of having to isolate themselves on their return.

“But other than that, people have also really re-evaluated the idea of ​​exploring their own garden.”

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Acting Victorian Tourism Minister Jaala Pulford said the latest tourism spending data captured an unusual time as Melburnians came out of restrictions.

“What happened very soon after this reporting period was Melbourne began its significant rebound,” she said.

She noted the Australian Open being staged in the city, the reopening of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the return of the AFL games with fans at the stadium.

“The global pandemic is having a significant impact on our enviable visitor economy,” said Ms. Pulford.

The state government has encouraged Victorians to travel locally through their travel voucher program. The first round, which begins on December 11th, funded 160,000 regional travel vouchers, each valued at $ 200.

The program recently expanded to include 40,000 Melbourne travel vouchers that were picked up within four minutes.

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Henrietta Cook is a senior consumer reporter for The Age. Henrietta joined The Age in 2012 and has worked in government politics and education.

Benjamin is the regional editor for The Age. Previously, he was a reporter for State Rounds and has also covered education for The Age.

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