Qld tourism businesses say fuel prices behind drop in visitor numbers

Carly Clark is passionate about hosting visitors on her animal rescue property, but she says tourist numbers have declined by 30 per cent on her regional Queensland farm.

Splitters Farm is among the many tourism businesses in the Bundaberg region, a nearly 5-hour drive north of Brisbane, that rely on the drive tourism market.

"This September school holidays we saw that a lot of people were not travelling and that our numbers were down in both the accommodation and the day trips," Ms Clark said.

Increased costs were "hurting everyone", the small business owner said.

"You've got [the] rising cost of insurances as well, and as a business we have to pass those insurance hikes onto our customers … so everyone's getting hit.

Megan Rippon, who travelled nearly 600 kilometres from Lismore in northern New South Wales with daughters Charli and Indi, said she was frugal in deciding where to spend money while holidaying in Bundaberg.

"I've got a hybrid [car] which helps but definitely thinking about the cost of fuel," Ms Rippon said.

"We're probably going to go to the beach and relax by the pool."

Turtle tour bookings

The region's turtle season is fast approaching and despite weekend tickets normally being sold out beforehand, there are still thousands available.

"Mon Repos is a really special place. It's the main nesting place for the endangered loggerhead turtle," ranger-in-charge Cathy Gatley said.

"You can drive to the park and up to the turtle centre and then walk along the beach with a guide to see turtles, hopefully, if turtles behave on the night."

The state member for Burnett, Stephen Bennett, said he wasn't concerned the Mon Repos tickets hadn't yet sold out as the season was only beginning.

"There's a lot of billboards going up now that will start to promote the turtles and the visitor experience, and Bundaberg and the Southern Great Barrier Reef are certainly a destination that we continue to promote," he said.

Caution on spending

According to Bundaberg Tourism, there were 750,000 overnight visitors to the region in the past financial year, injecting $430 million into the economy.

But the tourism body has observed a shift in booking trends in recent months.

"One of the things we have noticed is that booking window that people have when looking to make a trip has tightened, but that has been seen throughout the state and also throughout Australia," chief executive Duncan Littler said.

A nearly 2-hour drive south of Bundaberg, whale tour operators are wrapping up a less-than-bumper season in Hervey Bay.

Whalesong Cruises general manager Ben Duffy said bookings were also down 30 per cent this season compared to last year.

"People seem to be holding onto their disposable income rather than enjoy life," he said.

Mr Duffy would like to see a cut to the fuel excise to alleviate pressure on businesses and travellers.

"We do require fuel so our expenditure's up, and if the travel numbers are down … the overall income for people in the area is down."

Exploring closer to home

Ms Clark said it was a "period of uncertainty" for businesses and households.

She said while fuel prices were affecting long-distance travel, it could be an opportunity for locals to explore their own backyard.

"You've got the reef, the farm, you've got fantastic food and beverage options all within a really small space, 20 minutes from each other," she said.