More the merrier in stayovers

AN influx of visiting friends and relatives is set to make Townsville extra merry over the Christmas period.

Magnetic Island is almost fully booked out for Christmas, with Townsville less so.

Chamber of Commerce president Debbie Rains said: “At this time of year we get a lot of people coming and visiting friends and relatives so they’re not necessarily staying in hotels.

“Townsville is very much a base for people who have moved from different places for their work and their families come to visit. Restaurants and hospitality all do well during this time.”

Ms Rains said The Strand was always busy on Christmas Day.

“You get families coming out and they’re there from very early in the morning,” she said. “I remember when there was absolutely nothing open on Christmas ... in this day and age there are still so many things to do.”

Townsville Enterprise events and tourism manager Bridget Woods said Magnetic Island was set to be busy on the Christmas long weekend.

“The majority of Magnetic Island accommodation providers are fully booked,” she said.

“The trends are different across Townsville. The hotels that cater to corporate travel have a softening period during the Christmas period and those hotels that are geared more toward holiday travel have their turn.”

Rambutan Townsville general manager Chris Hanson said they had an occupancy rate of 57 per cent for Christmas.

“Having backpackers, a lot of them go home for Christmas,” he said. “Our occupancy is doing quite well for this time of year; it’s better than last year.

“It’s certainly tracking in the right direction for Christmas Day.”

Mariners North Holiday Apartments manager Sandra Sargent said people were coming into Townsville to visit friends and family during the Christmas break.

“We’re booked out for the Christmas weekend and after that we’re a bit quieter,” she said. “We’ve had steady bookings.”

Sealink general manager Chris Briggs said they had strong advance bookings for ferry services and their partners on the island had reported plenty of bookings.

“Families that go over ahead of Christmas often leave around Boxing Day and then another group of people go over,” he said.

“There’s really two different groups that go through.

“We have a special Christmas Day timetable with fewer services.”