Tourism catches a chill
Leaner times loom as businesses brace for impact of pandemic
‘‘Everything’s changing so fast – there’s different information every day.’’ Garry Munro,
Munro Hotel Group general manager
With almost half his clients hailing from overseas, Richard Ussher is starting to worry about job losses.
The managing director of Cable Bay Adventure Park, north of Nelson, says the new requirement for all travellers arriving in New Zealand to isolate themselves for 14 days will have a huge impact on his business.
‘‘We have had quite a few cancellations – not hundreds, but tens of bookings,’’ he said. They included cruise ship tourists, and crowds of Australians who had planned to visit Nelson during the April school holidays.
‘‘I’m definitely concerned,’’ Ussher said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that from 1am today, everyone arriving in New Zealand will have to isolate themselves for 14 days. Cruise ships are banned from docking at New Zealand ports until June 30.
The announcement has tourism business operators bracing themselves for the impact.
‘‘Every tourism operator in New Zealand will be going through some pretty hard times over the next few months,’’ Ussher said.
Locals had always supported his business, he said. However, with international visitors making up 45 per cent of his clientele, he was anticipating job losses.
With the situation evolving day by day, it was difficult to make a plan. ‘‘What’s happening is unprecedented.’’
Kiwi Journeys director Andrew Schwass wasn’t too worried until a couple of days ago. But the new restrictions mean the cancellations are now rolling in, putting his cycle tour company under threat.
‘‘All our Australian customers have cancelled,’’ he said.
There was a small silver lining in that the peak season was winding down, Schwass said.
‘‘But it will have a big impact. It’s evolving – it’s going to affect everyone. It’s going to be a bloody nightmare.
He said he planned to spend the next two days working on a campaign to attract domestic tourists and international visitors who are already in the country. ‘‘Trying to get the message out there that we’re still here, it’s business as usual.’’
While most tourists head to Nelson and Tasman during warmer months, off-peak tourists play a significant role in the local economy. Between March 1 and May 31 last year, international visitors to the region spent almost $14 million on accommodation, leisure activities, and food and drink.
With that spending curbed, tourism operators are going to have to think laterally.
Bay Tours Nelson owneroperator Owen Perry is trying to look on the bright side.
‘‘Sometimes these things are a bit of a disaster, but sometimes it’s a kick up the pants for you,’’ he said.
Perry’s company leads scenic and cultural tours around Nelson and Tasman. With eight out of 10 clients coming from overseas, he was preparing for a lean few months, he said.
As of yesterday morning, about half a dozen clients from the United States had cancelled.
‘‘But it’s only early days yet. We will be OK for the next couple of weeks with people already here, but after that it’s going to dry up a lot with international visitors.’’
Munro Hotel Group general manager Garry Munro said a trickle of cancellations had become a steady stream yesterday. He anticipated that there would be more cancellations for his three hotels — DeLorenzo’s, Trailways and The Hotel Nelson — throughout the week.
The cancellations included three conferences in March and April which would have filled 30 to 50 rooms, Munro said.
However, he wasn’t worried yet.
‘‘I’m keeping a close eye on occupancy. As [groups] cancel, the rooms are being taken up by individuals.’’
Two overseas guests had requested accommodation for a 14-day self-isolation, he said. ‘‘They’re not infected, just following the government rules.’’
Munro was philosophical about the potential impact on his business.
‘‘Everything’s changing so fast – there’s different information every day. We’re riding it out and dealing with what’s in front of us today.’’
Yesterday morning, Nelson i-SITE travel consultant Nick Hopman answered a phone call from someone wanting to cancel their trip due to coronavirus. It was the first, but Hopman said he wasn’t anticipating many more. ‘‘We deal with people on the road already.’’
For the tourists he saw each day, it was business as usual, and few had mentioned the virus, he said.
‘‘My impression is that people have been thrilled to travel here at the moment because it’s one of the best places to be. People feel really good here.’’
Until now, Nelson had been relatively insulated from travel restrictions, Hopman said.
With Chinese tourists tending to head further south to pictureperfect spots like Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook and Wanaka, Nelson had not felt the absence of this tourist demographic since Chinese were banned from visiting in February.
‘‘If you didn’t listen to the news, you wouldn’t know. Life just carries on as normal, unlike what is happening overseas at the moment.’’
The announcement coincided with the cancellation of events around the country, including a Nelson remembrance ceremony for the Christchurch mosque shootings. Russian pianist Oleg Marshev, due to play at Motueka’s Chanel Arts Centre in April, has also pulled out of his New Zealand tour.