New data from Tourism Research Australia reveals Australian CBD hotels saw a 74% fall in overnight trips and 76% drop in spend in September 2021 compared to pre-COVID levels.
Regional hotels experienced a 60% drop in overnight trips and a 54% drop in spend in September 2021.
Australians took 1.1 billion trips to capital cities and spent $854 million in September 2021, and also took 2.4 million trips to regional areas and spent $1.8 billion.
The Accommodation Association says Australian hotels are struggling to manage the twin punch of the pandemic and the pressing need to urgently fill 100,000 current vacancies across the sector to meet growing demand.
“Whilst our industry survived waves of the pandemic and stepped up to offer properties as government run quarantine centres, the staggering drop in city hotel occupancies for September 2021 is simply eye watering,” said Accommodation Association Interim CEO Richard Munro.
“While accommodation providers are starting to see a surge in corporate bookings and leisure travel for the new year, we’re calling on all Australians to book city staycations and take advantage of the lucrative CBD deals on offer.
“The critical shortage of staff for our sector continues to hamstring growth, which is why we continue to work with government to help close the gap in our labour force and help our businesses retain their incredibly talented teams.”
IMAGE: Tourism Research Australia
