June 23, 2016
Workers taking part in shutdowns and other operational works at the Tarong Power Stations are keeping most of the region’s accommodation operators afloat at the moment.
But unless the tourism market lifts a lot, next year could be bleaker as industrial activity at the power stations scales back.
A South Burnett Tourism Advisory Group meeting held at Cranes Winery recently conducted a round table discussion to find out how local tourism operators are doing.
Accommodation operators all reported that business has been brisk so far this year, but most noted the majority of it appears to be coming from resource sector workers.
Tourists are making up only a small proportion of total bookings for many accommodation operators, along with repeat customers.
However, several reported they had noticed a small lift in tourist numbers this year.
They hoped this might mark a turnaround in the market.
Bunya Mountains operators, by contrast, reported that most of their bookings are coming from tourists.
Even so, they occasionally host resource sector workers when accommodation in Kingaroy, Nanango and Yarraman is booked out.
Operators also reported that while most tourists appear to come to the region from Brisbane, there are noticeable inflows from the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast as well.
But outside of the Bunya Mountains, the region appears to draw very few people from the Darling Downs area or the North Burnett.
