Bookings surge for an Easter exodus
BOOKINGS are filling up as Cairns tourists and locals alike scramble to secure their holiday plans with the Easter break quickly approaching.
Accor Pacific chief executive Sarah Derry said the Novotel Cairns Resort had seen a steady increase in bookings since mid-February.
“There is strong demand for rooms over the Easter period, particularly from families looking for a break,” she said.
Comfort Inn hotel manager Jacky Ni said they had also felt the influx of bookings as borders reopened.
“We do have some international travellers from Korea, the States and the UK,” he said.
“People are having more confidence to travel.”
Mr Ni said the Easter period was a peak time for them and this year was looking as strong as ever.
“Actually, we’re fully booked out on the 15th and 16th (of April),” he said.
Skypark by AJ Hackett chief executive Danny Hughes is bracing for tourism to return as the business has seen an increase in bookings for its adventure experiences.
“Cairns is a really appealing destination; it’s a good little getaway with such amazing weather,” he said.
“We’re seeing a lot of people from the southern states plan and book their holidays to come up this Easter period.”
Off the back of Singapore Airlines’ first passenger flight into Cairns Airport last week, Mr Hughes said the return to travel was a boost to the local tourism economy.
“All the signs are there; there’s positivity around tourism,” he said.
Camping – long regarded as a rite of passage for Far Northerners at Easter – is set to remain a popular pastime with all campgrounds open and ready for bookings.
Facilities such as Cairns Holiday Park and White Rock Leisure Park have booked out all their cabins on the Easter weekend, with spaces remaining only for their powered and non-powered caravan sites.
Cairns Holiday Park receptionist Nicole Clark said business was getting quite busy as they headed into their peak time of Easter.
“We’re seeing people fly in, especially since we’re so close to the airport,” she said.
“We’re starting to see a few international visitors in their campervans.”
Ms Clark said while last year was quiet for business, their cabins were now fully booked out for the Easter weekend, with strong forward bookings in May and July.
“There are different dynamics, not just the regulars that we get coming up,” she said. “It’s looking really good.” If you’re wanting to instead camp without the camp, luxury cabins can still be found at Cairns Sunland Leisure Park, Tasman Holiday Parks and Ingenia Holidays.
Sydneysider Rebecca Wadcock, holidaying in Cairns with her husband, Ricardo Sarnosky and two-year-old Mateo Sarnosky, said they wanted the guaranteed sunshine that the Far North was able to offer at this time of year.
“We’re excited to be travelling,” she said.
“(Mateo) is happy to be out; he loves the sunshine and enjoys the warm weather.”
With plans to camp in the Far North for the Easter period, Ms Wadcock said they were happy to escape Sydney’s relentless rain.
“We’re just enjoying and relaxing,” she said.
The Easter weekend goes from Friday April 15 to Monday April 18.