Capricorn Enterprise urges the community to holiday local this Easter and support local businesses
Posted on March 30th, 2021
#visitcapricorn #southerngreatbarrierreef #sandstonewilderness #supportlocalbuylocal
As the COVID-19 pandemic once again disrupts the tourism industry, Capricorn Enterprise is urging locals to consider taking their long weekend or school holiday breaks in their own backyard if they haven’t yet made or have been required to change their travel plans.
Whilst the region enjoys solid bookings for the traditional Easter holiday period, the latest news announced by state government yesterday has already meant cancellations right across our region from the East to the West following the Premier’s lock-down announcement.
Capricorn Enterprise CEO, Mary Carroll is encouraging locals who may have not yet made plans for the long weekend, or needed to change their travel, to take the opportunity of the Brisbane cancellations.
“We are urging locals to take advantage of these Brisbane cancellations and book a local holiday at our islands, on the Capricorn Coast, Rockhampton region, and Central Queensland Highlands, and support these businesses who are employing our local workers,” Mary said. “Just as our locals supported the tourism industry through the peak of the COVID lockdown during 2020, we are again asking them to help our local businesses in tourism, hospitality and retail.”
Despite some Brisbane cancellations, bookings from the Sunshine Coast and broader Southern Great Barrier Reef regions remain strong.
In addition to COVID restrictions, our small businesses also face four consecutive public holidays over the easter weekend, which push up their wages bills by paying double time and a half penalty rates for four days instead of the traditional two.
Because the Easter period increases operating cost for businesses, added to recent cancellations, we appeal to patrons to support them.
“Our tourism and retail sectors rely upon the peak holiday times such as Easter to make a profit to carry them through the quieter times,” Mary said. “Many operators try to implement surcharges to retrieve some of their outlays for public holidays but are often met with disgruntled patrons, however we ask for some understanding during this time.”
