MILDURA Regional Development remains confident the region will be able to capitalise on Victoria’s anticipated re-opening tourism boom despite being plunged into a snap seven-day lockdown this week.
MRD chief executive officer Brett Millington said he did not believe the rising number of cases would leave a stain in Mildura’s reputation as a holiday destination once the region emerged from lockdown.
Mr Millington said that as state restrictions further eased and borders began to reopen, he was optimistic the region would again benefit from growing visitor numbers.
“If we had to enter a lockdown it’s better that it happened now rather than in a month’s time when everyone else is open,” Mr Millington said.
“If everyone else was out of lockdown and we were into a lockdown, it would probably be a whole different scenario,” he said.
“I don’t see it as perhaps the woe as long as it doesn’t delay our alignment with Melbourne coming out of lockdown.”
Mr Millington said that while the lockdown would be yet another challenge for hospitality and accommodation businesses “that have yet again been hammered”, he hoped it might expediate testing and vaccination rates and further encourage residents to abide by restrictions.
“It is all going to be dependent on the behaviour of people — if we’re told not to move around and we are doing the right things and get the testing and vaccination rates up then we will be in line to open up like the rest of the state,” he said.
“Hopefully what the lockdown will ultimately do is accelerate particularly vaccination rates locally and the only way we are going to get certainty in opening back up is through vaccination rates.
“NSW is out of lockdown now, in the coming weeks people will start to travel after getting used to being outside, Melbourne is slated for the end of October and we’re still on track for that as well.”
