With uncertainty surrounding national fuel supplies, there were nervous times for Lakes Entrance and surrounding towns over the Easter and school holiday period.
Motels and caravan parks reported a number of cancellations and increased enquiries about fuel availability, though most businesses ultimately reported being booked out for at least the Easter weekend.
Lakes Entrance Action and Development Association (LEADA) noted the town’s visitor economy relies heavily on Easter trade to carry businesses through the quieter winter months.
“From cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and bakeries to tour operators, visitor experience providers and events, to caravan parks, hotels and motels, to the service industries that clean and maintain our accommodation providers, everyone relies on tourists turning up,” LEADA said in a statement.
“It ended up being as good as it possibly could be under the circumstances.”
Whiters Holiday Village manager Brandon Smits said trade was steady overall despite early concerns.
“There was concern earlier on but by the time Easter came it was pretty normal with bookings,” Mr Smits said.
“Before and after were maybe down a bit, but overall it was satisfactory.”
Several operators reported cancellations driven by fears of fuel shortages, with some saying media coverage contributed to uncertainty among travellers. Others noted that caravan parks appeared quieter after Easter, possibly reflecting reduced travel from grey nomads amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
At Koonwarra Holiday Park, owners Monica and Bill Dykes said cabin bookings remained strong over Easter, although caravan site occupancy was slightly down.
“Bookings have dropped off a bit earlier than normal after Easter and we won’t have an ANZAC Day long weekend, but our cabins are our bread winners,” they said.
“It has felt a bit like COVID, but overall we have had a pretty good year. We’ve kept our staff employed, who are a good gang of workers.”
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At Coastal Waters Motel, Tracey Howes said Easter remained strong despite broader uncertainty.
“Easter is our last hoorah before winter, but with fuel uncertainty, cost of living, war and the media we were unable to get premium prices,” she said.
“We ended up fully booked and had a great weekend over Easter, but the future is unknown so we will see how we go. Winter is always quieter but, being an optimist, perhaps people won’t travel up north and will stay in sunny Gippsland.”
Despite ongoing challenges following COVID-19, bushfires and now fuel uncertainty, hospitality and accommodation operators across the region continue to demonstrate resilience and cautious optimism heading into winter.
