GREED & GOLD

Tourism bigwig’s scathing attack on whining Games hotels

A GOLD Coast tourism heavyweight says hotels whinging about a lack of bookings for next month’s Commonwealth Games only have themselves to blame.

Village Roadshow theme parks boss Bikash Randhawa says his company’s Sea World resort is sitting above 80 per cent occupancy for the city’s biggest-ever event.

Mr Randhawa said they had kept Games prices “real” and occupancy was above where it was for the same time last year, with bookings “exceptional”.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people did not book because of some of the stupid rates at one point. Operators need to look at their strategy and prices and can’t blame anyone else for their outcome.”

Gold Coast Tourism this week revealed Games occupacy was about 70 per cent in a presentation that shocked some city councillors.

Tourism bosses plan to hammer the lucrative day-tripper market and convert them to stay overnight.

THE Gold Coast’s accommodation market – as it stands – faces being an underperformer compared to previous Commonwealth and Olympic Games around the world.

Almost a decade since the Gold Coast bid for the Games, occupancy for city hotels sits at 70.6 per cent during the event but is tipped to rise in the countdown to the April 4 kickoff.

The figure is well below numbers anticipated just four years ago during the Glasgow Games when it was expected the city would match or exceed its Scottish predecessor. Glasgow scored a 95 per cent occupancy rate during the opening weekend.

During the 2012 Olympics, London’s hotels were 91.9 per cent full while Melbourne and Manchester had occupancy rates of 82.8 and 82 per cent during their respective Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2002.

There is little data from Delhi’s 2010 Commonwealth Games, other than anticipated projections of 85 per cent occupancy going unfulfilled.

The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games hit 100 per cent occupancy but suffered a disappointing lead-in. In the months before Sydney’s September Games, occupancy rates fell to 40-50 per cent on the back of perceptions of overcrowding.

Gold Coast Games organising committee CEO Mark Peters said yesterday with accommodation still available, he encouraged spectators to stay overnight “and have a great time”.

Tickets remain for the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, squash, hockey, badminton, table tennis and weightlifting.