OUR BIG BREAK
MOVING the Queen’s Birthday holiday to October has delivered a surprise twist, with employers saying today’s holiday would likely improve productivity and pour muchneeded cash into the Cairns economy.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland regional manager Amy Turnbull said regional centres would benefit from the holiday’s shift.
“A more even spread of public holidays throughout the year is beneficial for the business community,” she said.
“Concentrating public holidays in the first half of the year disrupts productivity.
“The changed date allows for services to run more smoothly, and increases the chance that Queensland families will take more mini breaks throughout the year.
“Hopefully this results in a windfall for businesses in tourism-related sectors.”
Ms Turnbull said the yearlong lead-up to the change in holiday dates was beneficial to the tourism industry.
“Amending the Holiday Act one year in advance gave businesses plenty of time to prepare,” she said.
“The fact that Queenslanders have a day off after such a huge sporting weekend is the cherry on top.”
Tourism is the main economic driver in Cairns and the Far North, employing 20 per cent of people in the region.
In the 2015-2016 financial year, the Far North welcomed almost 3 million visitors, including many domestic travellers. The 2.86 million visitors injected $3.37 billion into the Far North economy.
Drive tourism is also up, with 60 per cent of visitors to Cairns aged between 30 and 45 with young families.
Traveller Tom Jakubiec is in Cairns for the rest of the week with his wife Karolina and son Greg, making the most of what started as a long weekend trip.
“We came up to see the Reef – that’s the main thing we wanted to do,” he said.
“We usually do our best to go on holidays but it’s usually around New South Wales, around North Shore or Sydney, but this time we’ve come to Queensland to get the slightly better weather.”
National Retailers Association CEO Dominique Lamb said the holiday would contribute to a “much-needed higher spend in regional areas”.
Ms Lamb said tourist hot spots like Cairns, the Daintree, and the Cassowary Coast would be the winners after today.