Busselton-Dunsborough tourism industry slams chaos caused by snap lockdown

Confusion and frustration swelled among the Capes at the weekend as tourists flocked to the South West despite the Perth and Peel region’s snap coronavirus lockdown. The region’s tourism industry said it was left with no advice and even less idea how to deal with the hoards of Perth tourists taking up residence in the streets while cancelling tours. Busselton Jet Adventures owner Peter Kalbfell said the last long weekend of summer usually saw his business run off its feet, but instead he spent it reimbursing cancellations. “I think it was handled very poorly — they panicked over a handful of cases and it had a major impact on our business,” he said. “The (Government) made the announcement at 3pm and we found out from our customers calling to cancel. “As a business operator, we don’t have much confidence going forwards when the next snap lockdown could happen at any time.” “A three-day lockdown isn’t just about those three days for us, it’s the weeks following because people lose confidence to go places and spend their money in case they get stuck. “I think it really effects people, and exactly like the February lockdown we’re expecting our business to be effected for the next week or two. “This virus is going to be with us for years and businesses are not going to survive if this happens every few months... the government needs to find a better way to handle them.” Retreat owner Scott Lane said the State Government’s communication was “not good enough” and he wanted to see the tourism industry prioritised given the lockdown’s impact. “No one is asking for handouts from the Government, we just want a bit more notice before a press conference to work with our bookings,” he said. “This is the second time we’ve found out about a lockdown through our customers calling to cancel, and I know other businesses have experienced that too. “The Government need to talk to our governing bodies that there’s a potential problem so we can contact our guests and assure them if something like this happens we can work with them financially rather than have this situation and we lose money.” “These panic, knee jerk reactions by the government to lockdown the regions ends up meaning people are too scared to book in advance in case they lose money from another lock down and that means we lose money. Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods, pictured, said members had been left in an “impossible position”. “I’ve been getting questions about what they are supposed to do and the answer has been ‘you can’t do much without the police’,” he said. One prominent Margaret River winery, who did not want to be identified, said the its staff were forced to wear face masks to cater a Saturday night wedding because guests visiting form Perth were not. Many businesses were left unsure whether to stay open or to close, with Dunsborough’s Milc Homewares choosing the latter following updated Government advice, even though the South West was not subject to the same restrictions as the Perth and Peel regions. While the lockdown issue was lifted on Tuesday, concerns continue to bubble around the South West as businesses move into the quieter winter months of the year.