General News
16 April, 2025
Tourism crisis: Flooding scaring away visitors to region
Tens of thousands of bookings have been cancelled as a result of flooding throughout Outback Queensland.
Gulf tourism operators say they are facing an uncertain future after being inundated by 50,000 cancellations since the start of the year.
Gulf Savannah Development CEO Neil O’Brien said it illustrated the broader perception problem among tourists that the region was increasingly seen as a place “too difficult” to travel to.
April typically marks the beginning of the busy tourist season in the Gulf.
However, following recent flood events, Mr O’Brien said the inboxes of local operators had been filled with sudden cancellations from both large-scale booking agencies and individual travelers and caravanners.
He said some tourists were even cancelling trips booked for as far out as September.
Mr O’Brien said the high number of cancellations in the Gulf, which could receive up to 100,000 tourists in a good season, were for multiple bookings at once.
For example, the same tourist cancelling a caravan park stay, a fishing tour and a trip to a local attraction intended in the same trip.
He said many Gulf operators were struggling to keep their doors open following multiple flood events and declining tourist numbers in recent years.
Mr O’Brien said his organisation would launch a marketing campaign in the coming weeks in an attempt to combat the misinformation and let tourists know the “Gulf was open for business”.
However, he said Gulf operators also needed the state government to intervene and extend disaster recovery financial assistance to include tourism operators.
“Tourists are thinking the region is flooded and the roads are cut off for long periods of time and they need to cancel their trips,” he said.
“Some tourism operators I have spoken to have seen 90 or even 100 per cent of their bookings gone in just a few weeks – but I would say most operators have seen at least a 50 per cent cancellation rate.
“People just cannot continue at this rate, and I know many are struggling to keep their doors open.
“I met with the Tourism Minister last week and my message was we need assistance – many of our businesses have stocked up with food in the fridges and beverages and had recruited all the extra staff in preparation for the season – and then they have received all these cancellations.
“The impact is going to be felt for a long while to come.”
The Gulf Savannah Development CEO said recent studies had suggested tourists were now only staying about four days in the Gulf, which was about half the average time recorded prior to COVID.
Ash’s Holiday Units owner and LNP Senate candidate Yvonne Tunney said she believed social media chatter and negative media reports from city-based journalists were the cause of the poor perceptions from tourists.
The Karumba businesswoman said while experiencing a peak immediately following COVID, the significant wet season events in subsequent years had seen tourist numbers rapidly decline and she had been forced to reduce staff in response.
Ms Tunney said it was a struggle to change the minds of tourists because many did not directly enquire with operators prior to cancelling their booking.
“If they do call to ask then we can talk to them and explain that they are able to travel to the area,” she said.
“But most of the time we are just getting an email saying they have decided not to come.”
Carpentaria Shire mayor Jack Bawden said tourism was one of the biggest drivers of the economy.
“We only have tourism, beef and the fishing industry up here,” he said.
“So when the tourism operators suffer, the entire region will suffer economically.”