The Tropical North Queensland region of Cairns, Port Douglas and Daintree has not been affected by floods but has experienced a sharp decrease in visitor numbers due to the widespread coverage of the Queensland floods.
Accommodation houses are receiving more cancellations than bookings, with record low occupancies for mid-January onwards.
Small business owners say they are frustrated with the lack of support from regional tourism bodies, with positive news reports highlighting the Sunshine Coast, Whitsundays and the Gold Coast, but ignoring the northern parts of the state.
Daintree Ecolodge owner Cathy Maloney says, “International travel agents who were due to visit Tropical North Queensland have cancelled their familiarisation trips due to the dramatic coverage of floods; floods that are more than 1,000 kilometres away.”
