VICTORIA’S second coronavirus surge – stemming largely out of Melbourne – is bad news for Sunraysia’s tourism industry.
With many operators only just reopening after initial restrictions eased, the border closure means tourism, hospitality and recreation businesses are again going back to the drawing board – this time amid the usually busy school holiday period.
“It is disappointing, at what would otherwise be a time we’d be welcoming people,” Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said.
“Obviously, there are going to be some significant challenges for us from a tourism perspective. South Australia is a significant market to us and that’s been closed for a while, and now with New South Wales (closing the border) that cuts off another avenue.”
Mildura Council economic development and tourism councillor Mark Eckel said the border closure threw a spanner in the works of Sunraysia’s unified tourism front.
“I’ve had an adage for years that there’s no borders in tourism,” he said.
“This throws that out the door. One of the big issues as far as Mildura is concerned is that we are Sunraysia.
“And Sunraysia from a marketing perspective means the whole of the area. It means Wentworth, and it means Robinvale, it means Mungo National Park – all the destinations within our region.”
Cr Eckel suggested that with restrictions ramping up in Melbourne, Sunraysia’s tourism industry should shift its focus to other regional centres to attract visitors.
“Let’s look outside the box,” he said.
“There’s grey nomads, for instance, that live in country Victoria – we’re welcoming those people.
“The message needs to needs to be told to people from regional Victoria and outside (Melbourne) that it is a safe environment here, because we’ve managed it and our businesses have managed it well.
“The doors are open and businesses are open.”
Mildura’s new Start Here tourism campaign launched last month, encouraging visitors from regional Victoria and South Australia and Adelaide to come to Sunraysia.
Mr Millington acknowledged that while that campaign might not pay off while travel restrictions stayed in place, he was hopeful it would bear fruit once borders reopened.
“It’s not necessarily about the here and now,” he said.
“It’s about being front of mind for people when they are ready to travel again.
“If people are locked down, it means that they’re watching their TVs and they might think Mildura might be one of those places to go and see when they get a chance.”
According to Mr Millington, Mildura has an edge over the rest of the state in terms of attracting interstate tourists.
“The great thing about Mildura is that whenever people see it on television, they see it’s far away from the hot spots and also that it’s usually the warmest part of the state,” he said with a laugh.
In the meantime, Mr Millington urged locals to support businesses struggling in the face of reduced tourism.
“When you get the opportunity, support your local businesses, whether it’s a cafe or going out and getting takeaway,” he said.
“(Hospitality businesses) have been through a tough time and they’ve responded and adapted and we’re hoping they can continue in that way and get through this.”
