Tourists flock back to Geraldton, Mid West for Easter after a COVID and Seroja-induced lull

After COVID travel restrictions and the devastation of cyclone Seroja made it almost impossible for Mid West hospitality providers to operate, businesses are set to reap the rewards of an influx of tourists to the region this Easter. Port Gregory Caravan Park spent the last April school holidays cleaning up after the April 11 storm hit the popular holiday spot. But now 12 months on, owner Tim Hay said all the insurance work on the park had been completed and accommodation was fully booked for Easter. He said there were some vacancies still available during the school holidays, with some guests cancelling at the last minute due to COVID isolation rules. “There are still people travelling and filling those spots, so we can’t complain,” he said. Further north of Port Gregory, accommodation providers in Kalbarri have been flooded with booking requests. Kalbarri Edge Resort reported being fully-booked for Easter since the start of April, with vacancies for the school holidays also limited. Back in Geraldton, accommodation is also in high demand, with Gerald Hotel assistant manager Gemma Clarke saying the venue was 95 per cent full. “For the actual Easter long weekend they’ve been booked fairly in advance, with the odd booking here or there,” she said. “We would have definitely been at 75 per cent full a while ago and had a bit of pick up over the past few weeks.” Ms Clarke said Easter bookings were up from last year, with guests also opting to extending their stay in Geraldton. “I think you get the opportunity to sell Geraldton as a leisure destination, not so much just for the corporates, which is nice. Our biggest thing is getting them to not just travel through,” she said. “So that’s been a bit of a difference this year, they’re actually staying for a couple of nights with us rather than just staying overnight to travel to a different destination for the weekend. “I think it’s great for Geraldton and hopefully the other businesses and people are spending their money here over the weekend.” It’s a similar experience at the across town. Ocean Centre Hotel assistant manager Kasey Gibson said the venue had almost no vacancies for Easter. “I know that Saturday night is fully booked and either side of that we’ve only got a few rooms there at this point,” she said. “I think it’s a time where people are going to spend more money, they’re going to spend time with their family and go out for those breakfast and lunch dates that they probably usually wouldn’t.” She said the Ocean Centre Hotel suffered only a few cancellations due to Seroja last year. “A lot of people were stopping by here and then heading over to Kalbarri and then obviously because they couldn’t go, they had to cancel with us,” she said. “But once that was cancelled, we got a lot of reservations taking their places anyway for people that were wanting to come and stay in Geraldton.” But not all businesses are expecting to be flat out this school holidays with Mid West Adventure Tours operator Cameron Williams saying the upcoming Shore Leave festival at the end of the month is expected to bring more business into the region. “Like for myself, it’s just a bit quiet during school holidays, everyone sort of self-drives and does things at their own pace,” he said. “Geraldton I think needs to be put on the map a little bit more — people are just going to Kalbarri or Exmouth so we’re discussing those things with the Tourism Council. “We’re working on showcasing Geraldton a bit better.”