Stunning .... why are visitor numbers down at the Town of 1770? PIC: Tourism Queensland
While it may have escaped major damage from Tropical Cyclone Debbie and the nearby reefs have largely escaped coral bleaching, the Town of 1770 in central Queensland is still doing it tough.
The longstanding grey nomad favourite has been struggling since the catamaran which took tourists to Lady Musgrave Island sunk in May, 2016. The demise of the Spirit of 1770 saw visitor numbers plummet at the tourism-dependent beachside community.
Resorts and hotels have noticed a massive drop in the number of tourists staying, and the amount of time they are staying for.
Lagoons 1770 general manager, Simon Della Santa, told the ABC that business performance had been “extremely poor” at the 112-room luxury resort.
“It was a dramatic decrease, the phone stopped ringing and even cancellations to the point where I was falling 5% month on month,” he said. “We’re going to bleed right through winter as far as I’m concerned; I can’t see it picking up.”
While accommodation providers may feel the most dramatic drop, the economic shockwaves are being felt throughout the community.
The owner of a local surf shop, Wayne ‘Grom’ Mellick, told the ABC his summer trade had dropped 20-30%.
“It wasn’t just taking months, it was straight away, those people weren’t coming into town,” he said. “It means a loss of trade, it means a loss of jobs, it means a lot of low self-esteem and it definitely puts pressure on businesses and also families.”
Another boat currently operates tours to Lady Musgrave Island, but its capacity is around half of The Spirit of 1770.
* Have you noticed a change in the atmosphere at the Town of 1770? Comment below.
Yes,had not been there for a few years and what I saw was high cost caravan parks charges has stopped me from staying there again
Yes, it is the prices for sure. Anyhow the place that is really getting discovered is Bargara just east of Bundaberg. Beautiful beaches all amenities and reasonably priced. Plenty of things to do within a 50 klm radius and apparently one of the most affordable places to buy real estate. But mainly known for a good snakebite remedy, the famous Bundy Rum! Cheers, Stevo
In the low season you must drop your prices to get people in.
An operator knows his outgoings and if you can cover those during the low season then you are half way there. If your rooms are priced at $300 pn in the high season , drop them to $150 pn in the off season. I would rather 100% of $150 than nothing of $300. Doesn’t matter what you say your rooms are worth; they really are worth what guests will pay.
People love a bargain. We had to do it in our motel every winter here in Busselton.