Family and friends have booked to return to far north Queensland, but domestic tourism is yet to signal strong interest, according to local Cairns tourism operators, as Queensland prepares to reopen its state borders this evening.
“We are seeing a lot of visiting friends and family,” Nikki Guimelli the owner operator of the Cairns-based Bad Fishy jet boat business told ABC TV.
“That was pre-planned. We have had the connections coming back as people come back together,” Guimelli said.
“The traditional tourism and leisure market may take a bit of time. We are not expecting this to open flood gates for Cairns and … to see an inundation into the region.
“We are hoping for a steady build over time and we are excited that there is a plan in place that seems concrete as well which is what we need.
Ms Guimelli said staffing remained a challenge.
“We made that investment early and have done the training, and we have a full crew in place, but there are some gaps in our labour market up here, particularly in hospitality in the larger organisations.
“There is a call to arms for staff in Cairns,” Guimelli said.
Guimelli said the domestic market would help fill the gap from the lack of international travellers.
“That (international tourists) was an exceptionally important market for Cairns and it will continue to be.”
“The domestic business will fill that gap for us and has been missing in our region for close to two years.”
“I think there is still time before we see meaningful international business back into our region. It will be a slow and steady build, but that will make the huge difference to our destination over time.”
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