Save your festive season for the far north by keeping your holiday plans there alive and be prepared for a fantastic vacation while supporting a hard-hit community, is the message from tourism and business groups in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Queensland Tourism Minister Michael Healy has urged people to consider visiting the far north and appealed for holiday makers to help salvage the summer holidays for businesses impacted by intense rain and flooding.
Mr Healy said in the aftermath of widespread flooding which caused substantial damage in specific areas, "there's still many fantastic reasons to visit and help support the tourism operators who are ready to welcome you with open arms."
"The best way you can help support our community is to visit the far north for for a holiday now, the weather is beautiful and we have world-class hotels and world-class tourism products," Mr Healy said.
"Whilst we have seen horrific weather events and a number of people have been severely impacted, the tourism operations in key areas are still up and going.
"Cairns is certainly open for business and access to Port Douglas will also be an option.
"The far north needs your support."
Tourism Tropical North Queensland, CEO Mark Olsen said now is the time for holiday-makers to recognise the impacts of the devastating weather event are isolated to specific areas.
"The majority of North Queensland is open for business and ready to provide visitors with an unforgettable experience," Mr Olsen said.
"We are urging the public and the travel industry to support us during this challenging time.
"Even in some of those impacted areas we are seeing great innovation from local businesses, with ferries currently operating between Port Douglas and Cairns, bus routes re-routed to the Daintree and tours tweaked to ensure a world-class, memorable and safe experience.
"The North Queensland tourism industry provides an annual $3.7B injection to the state economy.
"So its critically important that holiday makers retain their bookings, and indeed make plans to visit this incredible part of Australia from anywhere from Mackay to Cairns.
"But right now, it's more than economics, it's the livelihoods of the thousands of people who rely on the visitor economy to support their families (so) keeping your holiday booking, well there is no better Christmas gift."
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said while there are areas North of Cairns that are facing significant infrastructure and access challenges, the impact is not uniform across North Queensland.
"Townsville, Hinchinbrook, Magnetic Island, the Cassowary Coast, Mission Beach and all destinations Cairns and south are indeed ready to receive visitors, and the tourism industry is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience," she said.
"Cairns and Townsville have always been interlinked as part of drive and rail itineraries for holiday makers for decades.
"Cairns is a key access hub for our region in Townsville North Queensland, and we are already seeing, in what is meant to be one of the busiest weeks for tourism, visitors diverting, or cancelling holidays as a result (and) we need this to stop."
One of the hard-hit businesses, Roderic Rees from Cairns Adventure Group said he hoped for tourists to visit and be part of a "Christmas miracle."
"The impacts for our business from this weather event are absolutely devastating, we had just scaled up our staffing to prepare for the Christmas period and now we have no indication of when we will be able to reopen all of our 11 touring options," he said.
"It's hard to comprehend that we have not only experienced a 50 per cent loss in revenue overnight, we also have significant infrastructure damage at our Lake Placid and the Marina operations and one of our boats has been completely swamped.
"We are really calling for a Christmas miracle and urging holiday makers to support our tours that have reopened including Tully Rafting and our Waterfall Wanderers tour - the extra rain means the waterfalls are more spectacular than ever before and the rafting is an experience not to miss."
Accor General Manager Wayne Reynolds said he was concerned if visitors did not support the region.
"It is disheartening to report that the group is experiencing significant impacts from cancellations due to the perception that North Queensland is closed for business," he said.
"The tourism industry in our region is facing an uphill battle, and we urgently seek support to mitigate further losses and aid in the recovery process."
Mr Reynolds said cancellation impacts are coming through from right across the width and breadth of North Queensland.
Barb Wilkinson, owner of Magnetic Glamping said she devastated people are staying away.
"We launched our brand-new Magnetic Island Glamping resort, just a few weeks before Jasper and we are devastated to be experiencing cancellations already," she said.
"All off the back of the perception that Townsville and Magnetic Island was impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
"We have had hardly any rain on Magnetic Island and yet we are only running at very low occupancy and we really need bookings and support from visitors to sustain our new business."
However, airlines are on notice to honour flights, Mr Olsen said.
"Airlines are urged to refrain from offering free cancellations to Cairns-bound travellers," he said.
"TTNQ emphasises, 'Cairns is open for business', and we want to dispel any misconceptions that may deter potential visitors.
"We urge airlines to work closely with us to communicate the accurate status of the region and encourage travel to North Queensland."
Know more about this issue? Contact Alison Paterson on 0438 861 082
