Tourism drop 'inevitable': outback tourist boss

Speaking from Blackall last week, his comments reflect the fears of operators that have been wondering when the crowds will arrive since the traditional season began in April.

Among them is Col Mace, who has been the publican at the Eulo Queen Hotel in the state's south west for the past six years.

He said the start of this year's tourist season has been completely different to every other year he's been opening the pub's doors to visitors.

Using one night last week as an example, he went from having 18 powered sites full every night during the COVID lockdown years, to three occupied sites.

"It's about 70 per cent of what we saw last year," he said.

"We were flat out through COVID - people circled round and round the state.

"This year it's quieter in every aspect, and it's not just me saying this."

Further west, Thargomindah mayor John 'Tractor' Ferguson backed Mr Mace up, saying at the most recent South West Regional Organisation of Councils meeting, everyone was saying tourism numbers were down 30 to 40pc on last year's statistics.

While some of that could be attributed to flooding blocking off access to visitors from the south, Cr Ferguson believed changes in finance were having a big impact.

Self-funded retirees who had experienced years of not earning any interest are now earning four per cent and taking the opportunity to go overseas while they could, he said.

"They tell me caravans are coming onto the market a lot now," he said.

Mr Mace attributed the quiet roads and van parks to the financial squeeze.

"Older people have been through this before, and they're tightening their belts," he said. "Plus, a lot are helping their kids so interest rates are hurting them too."

Winton Shire mayor Cathy White confirmed tourism was definitely slower in her tourist hotspot but said numbers seemed to be picking up at last, and Barcoo Shire mayor Sally O'Neill said numbers were likely back to what they were pre-COVID.

"This might be our new normal," she said.

OQTA chairman Andrew Martin said western Queensland tourism had broken all records through the COVID years.

"Cairns was 18 per cent, we were 120," he said. "And we did it for three years straight."

He said it was inevitable that "sooner or later, people were going to succumb to the allure of overseas travel, given that there are some really good deals around".

"Cost of living's got a lot to do with it," he said.

"Given the pressures and $2.50 a litre for fuel here and there, and tyres and buying caravans, the allure of overseas travel - the dollar's not all that competitive but it's cheaper to go overseas than it is to come outback.

"Currently you can fly to Japan and back with about 10 days thrown in, for a couple of thousand dollars each.

"You'd be lucky to get in a caravan and get to Blackall for a couple of thousand dollars each, let alone get home."

Cr Martin joked that there must have been a blizzard in Australia's south in the last week or so, because the numbers of caravanners had just started increasing.

"It is slow and I don't expect that we're going to break any records at all this year, in terms of outback tourism," he said. "(There's) no choice (but to ride it out). I don't think it's going to be a disaster."

Cr Martin also said the tourism body, and operators, had to keep finding new "hooks" for different tourism demographics, or put a new spin on old attractions at the very least.

"It's all about marketing and we need to market the fact that we're a bit different," he said. "We're not the Gold Coast and we're bloody proud of not being the Gold Coast so we need to market it a little differently."