Tourism operators in the Kimberley region are feeling the pinch after a significant drop in bookings. An influx of workers repairing flood-damaged roads has offered a reprieve for some businesses, while others are facing another tough tourist season next year.
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00:00 The rumble of the wet season has started in the Kimberley, marking an end to a tough dry
00:07 season for tourism businesses.
00:09 68% of businesses in the north have declined this year and they're already reporting
00:16 19% down for bookings next year.
00:19 So it's something we just can't sustain.
00:22 The industry says staff shortages and record flooding has again contributed to fewer tourists
00:28 heading north.
00:29 Floods at the beginning impacted perception, people's ability to travel, which cascaded
00:35 through resulting in a lot of dropped bookings.
00:39 A lack of certainty around access to the famed horizontal falls is also seen as a disincentive
00:45 for tourists.
00:46 Yeah, the industry is looking for certainty.
00:48 It's looking for clarity and understanding of what the future will hold.
00:53 Traditional owners recently told the state government they were looking to restrict access
00:57 to the falls.
00:58 If we're not showcasing experiences like horizontal falls to the world, Western Australia is missing
01:02 out on an interstate and international visitation.
01:05 While some businesses are feeling the pinch, others are taking advantage of an influx of
01:10 workers.
01:11 Absolutely flat out, just full on booked nearly every night.
01:15 Bit quiet on the weekends, but during the week, heaps.
01:18 Accommodation across the north has been booked out by work crews as they scramble to get
01:23 the Great Northern Highway repaired in time for the wet.
01:26 For tourism businesses, we're certainly asking them, helping them to hang on.
01:32 All businesses are hoping by next dry season, the workers will be replaced by tourists again
01:38 keen to explore the Kimberley.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]