Accommodation Australia advises travelers who can afford to travel over the Easter holidays should travel to these areas.
James Goodwin, chief executive of Australia’s top accommodation body, said hotel demand was slowing in all Australia’s capital cities, but regional areas reliant on “road travelers” were suffering the worst declines.
“The Easter and school holidays are an important period for the visitor economy of many small regional hotels and motels, as well as surrounding towns,” he said.
“This is their last holiday before heading into a quiet winter which will be more difficult than usual given current fuel and living cost pressures.”
“The good news for travelers is that many of our great regional hotels and motels now have vacancies, so anyone who has the means to leave but hasn’t booked yet will be taken care of.
Goodwin acknowledged that times are tough, but “those who can afford to get out of their own backyard won’t be disappointed.”
“The country’s accommodation and food services industry employs more than 980,000 people.
“I believe that if they can take shifts during the holidays to make your holiday special, they will each have a happier Easter.”
Goodwin said bookings are still reasonable, but this Easter is expected to be lower than last year.
“Simple comparisons with last year are difficult because Easter and Anzac Day are separate, which reduces the ability to create a long break without using additional annual leave.”
He noted that the weekend’s data could be the first real test of the impact of conflict in the Middle East on Australia’s tourism and hospitality industry.