Hamilton Island is solidly booked until 2023. Photo Credit: Hamilton Island
Once quiet venues and destinations during the Covid pandemic period
are now bursting at the seams, according to many event planners and
operators.
Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays was extremely quiet for almost two years.
Now, says business tourism manager, Julie Ford, business is back to
pre-Covid levels, with the resort fully booked out for the remainder of
2022 and a strong pipeline of MICE business in 2023.
It’s the same at some of the country’s top resorts, like the Sheraton
Grand Mirage Port Douglas, which is seeing back-to-back events right up
until Christmas.
Australian incentive practitioner, Michael Walker of DCIM, says
availability at hotels and resorts within Australia is challenging. And
it’s exacerbated by the fact that they have so many clients who want to
do business.
Also of concern is low staff numbers at properties, meaning even if
they have the rooms, they don’t always have the staff to be able to
service the clients.
This may be okay for the leisure travel, but when it comes to
organising high-end business meetings and incentives there has to be a
high level of service.
“If we know that a venue has staff shortages then we can work around the problems,” he says.
One example Walker cited is an incentive programme they ran at a
resort hotel that had no in-room mini-bars because the property didn’t
have the staff to stock them daily.
“Because we knew about it we were able to provide our guests with
welcome hampers that overcame having to have a mini-bar,” he says.
With the lack of venue availability in comes the risk of higher
prices which Tribe Travel & Events’ Leon Burman says could spell
trouble for the Australian hospitality sector.
“Australia is getting very expensive. We recently ran an incentive
program to Darwin and Kakadu. Next year we’re taking the group to
Vietnam which will be less expensive,” he says.