Another busy summer holiday period has been completed for businesses in Lakes Entrance and surrounding areas with many reporting there was a lot of people, but they were careful how they spent their money.
Caravan parks and motels reported good patronage with Lakes Recreation Reserve Camp Park full to the brim.
“Although it has been our best season ever, we did notice campers were spending more time at their camps and eating there,” manager Jo Martin said.
“More visitors are prioritising and budgeting, perhaps only going out once for dinner.
“We have good rates over the holiday season and are now getting strong bookings from the grey nomads.”
Alison and Tyson Murphy from the Central Hotel reported a busy period which started earlier than usual in mid-December.
“The weather was great which allowed for lots of outdoor
dining, plus the boats could be out, providing good, fresh seafood,” they said.
“We introduced cocktails and pizzas from 2pm to 5pm which filled a gap for those wanting a late sit-down lunch in town. It was the first year we have served food from midday to 8.30pm and it proved popular.
“It was a consistent season with no big spikes or lulls.”
It was the first fully set up season for Off The Wharf Café and it enjoyed good patronage.
“It was nearly booked out most days for lunch and dinner, very consistent,” manager and head chef Megan Lansdown said.
“Australia Day weekend was our busiest period, but we have a good crew of staff that made it run smoothly.”
James Peel from Peels Cruises said patronage was much the same as last year but he has noticed a lot of tourists are just coming to Lakes Entrance for the day.
“Talking to those on a cruise many were from the Latrobe Valley and Pakenham and were doing a day trip, having a meal and a cruise, perhaps some mini golf and then heading home,” he said.
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“Although the town looked busy, the visitors were not spending. I suppose nothing will beat 2023 when we came out of COVID and they had cash to spend.”
Les Chant from the carnival reiterated those words saying crowds were there but ticket sales were down.
Coffee shops were popular with Kellie Svetlik from Brew Bar reporting a good season.
“It was a bit better than last year being consistently busy,” she said.
“We were open every day except Australia Day and kept open until the public decided it was beer time and not coffee time.”
Mini golf is always a must-do in Lakes but Vince Saldaneri from Esplanade Mini Golf said it was quieter, particularly the
December period.
“It seems a lot of people are not spending, we noticed many were day trippers, which makes me wonder about accommodation affordability,” he said.
“There is a lot of uncertainty with the cost of living and interest rates. Tourism is one of the first spending areas that is culled. We had families come in and the parents would forego playing so the kids could. Hopefully we are only a year away from more certain times,” Vince said.
Will Yeap from Lakes Entrance Aqua Park also reported numbers on the low side.
“We did have people a bit concerned about the jellyfish,” he said.
“The new facilities are great though, the sports pavilion is good, nice and functional and well insulated. We were surprised how cool it is inside even during the middle of a hot day.
“The new boardwalk is also good in bringing our customers straight to the inflatables and the end of the bowl decking provides people with an additional seating area. It would be good if there were plans to build some additional covers there,” Will said.
Big Bears Donuts’ Ewan Fotheringham had the same observation as many, that there were plenty of people around, but their number of customers served was down on last year.
“The average spend has diminished, but we have done as good as we possibly could hope for with the economic environment. Budgets are tight,” he said.
“We are supported well by locals, but even the markets we attend are soft compared to years gone by. The varied demographic of people was missing this year and there were lots of day trippers.”
Many local businesses were concerned about the number of markets held over the most
lucrative time of the year, particularly as it is set up in the middle of town.
