SHOW DAY All the fun of the fair plus much more
SOUTHERN visitors escaping the cold and locals taking advantage of the Cairns Show Day long weekend are expected to provide a much-needed boost to businesses just beginning to get back on track.
Also affected by the COVID crisis, a reduced version of Cairns Show will go ahead on Friday and Saturday to offer the young and young at heart a taste of the event.
Cairns Pacific Hotel general manager Tim Moloney said there was no sugar coating that bookings had been softer than usual for Show Day long weekend but was grateful of any post-COVID boost.
“Any business is really welcome at the moment with the hope that they come and they stay and they also contribute to the greater tourism industry,” he said.
“And it’s such a beautiful time of year, why not?
“We have had a steady stream of bookings coming through, which is a positive
“They are predominantly from as far south as Townsville and up into the Tablelands and Port Douglas.
“There seems to be quite a bit of interest from locals wanting to come into the region and have a few nights away.”
Cairns ZOOM and Wildlife Dome general manager Sam Gould said he expected the CBD attraction to trade well this long weekend, based on positive visitor numbers during the school holiday period.
“We had a really good school holidays, a big thanks to all the local families who supported us,” he said.
“We had a lot of Cairns, Tablelands and Port Douglas people and quite a lot of drive market (visitors) from Ingham and Townsville.
“Traditionally the long weekend is busy for us and we are hoping it will be this year.”
The wildlife attraction on the top floor of the Reef Hotel Casino has reduced opening hours on Friday from 10am to 4pm with normal trading hours on Saturday through Sunday and Zoom is offering an across the board 20 per cent discount.
Though the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway remains closed, the Kuranda Scenic Railway will be operating on Show Day. The train departs Cairns at 8.30am and 9.30am and returns from Kuranda at 2pm and 3.30pm.