Drop in tourists causes cancellation pain as North West WA businesses call for extension to cheap flights

Perth friends Steph Barr and Sophie Johns are enjoying the sunshine in Broome on a dream holiday, thanks to a bit of help from a State Government cash splash. “We have friends who have moved up here and needed to see what the hype was about,” Ms John said. “Cheap flights, sunshine, stunning beaches and the short travel time from Perth made the decision easy.” But as flight subsidies to the region wind down, tourism operators are worried the huge downturn in tourists this dry season will continue. Australians choosing to holiday overseas instead they say, with businesses from Broome to Kununurra reporting customer numbers are down as much as 40 per cent on last year. Accommodation providers have had to deal with mass cancellations from coach companies who have only sold a fraction of the seats they had anticipated for their package holidays. The Cambridge Hotel in Kununurra had $600,000 worth of cancellations from coach companies alone. Hotel general manager Narelle Brook said that did not take into account the amount of money lost on food and beverage purchases. “It’s massive, it has had a huge impact. If those groups are staying with us they are also doing a flight or a cruise, so the loss between us all and the overall cost to the community must be great,” she said. Cambridge Gulf Limited chief executive Mat Dear said the return of overseas travel was hurting the region. “So this year I guess it’s like a delayed COVID, because international travel has resumed and there have been huge cancellations with tour groups,” he said. One of the Kimberley’s biggest accommodation providers, G’Day Group, has seen occupancy rates down 15 per cent on last year. G’Day Group chief operations officer Matt Lang said cost-of-living pressures were discouraging people from travelling and he would like to see the State Government extend the flight subsidies beyond this season. “While we are thankful for the Government’s support in incentivising travel to the region, cost-of-living pressures have seen people preference shorter trips, closer to home and international visitation is still around 35 per cent down on pre-COVID levels. “Early season flooding also heavily affected confidence among the self-drive market as it was difficult to get accurate and up-to-date information about access, particularly regarding road closures. “With cost-of-living top of mind for travellers, we would welcome an extension of flight subsidies to improve access to the region. This will also be critical to ensure the Kimberley remains an accessible destination to overseas tourists as international visitation rebounds.” Tourism Council WA’s latest quarterly tourism business survey showed the industry experienced a 17 per cent decrease in net business activity in the June quarter. The survey found the Kimberley had the greatest decline with a big drop in bookings for this season and the next. In Broome, Kimberley Wild Expeditions — which operates remote four-wheel-drive tours across the region — described their loss of customers this year had been “significant.” “It has not been a great year — it is like COVID part two,” Kimberley Wild Expedition owner Jen Bird said. She blamed the slow year on the January floods which destroyed the Fitzroy River bridge severing the East Kimberley from the west. During Kimberley Wild Expeditions’ biggest booking period for the year, January and February, there was huge uncertainty about when the Fitzroy Bridge would be restored. “We had mass cancellations from travellers, that took quite a bit to recover from, some of that we could never really,” she said. Red Sun Camels owner John Geappen said tourist numbers may be low but it comes after two bumper seasons in 2021 and 2022 when WA holidaymakers, trapped by border closures, explored their own backyard in unprecedented numbers. “I think the problem is that we got spoiled during COVID and I don’t think we’ll ever have another couple of years like that again,” said Mr Geappen, who runs the iconic Broome camel rides on Cable Beach. “Nationally we’ve had a downturn but if you really look at it it’s very much like pre-COVID.” “So we have a busy April and then we have a drop off in May and then it picks back up again in June, July and August so I have been just as busy.” Cable Beach Club Resort general manager Stuart Kentish said he had not seen much of a decrease in bookings since last year. “We’ve still got a very strong season which is a testament to continual investment in the product rather than stopping over COVID and now we’re reaping the rewards from it,” he said.