Summer boom delivers mixed fortunes for South West tourism operators

The summer tourism rush has delivered a patchwork of results for the South West, with some businesses reporting bumper trade while others felt the pinch after the new year surge.

A recent survey by the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association found the December 24 to January 4 holiday window to be very busy.

However, trading conditions became more uneven throughout the remainder of January.

MRBTA chief executive Sharna Kearney said busy town centres didn’t always correspond with spend in local businesses.

“As tourism and hospitality spending is discretionary, it is often aligned to broader economic conditions,” she said.

“The mixed result reported by businesses suggests that some segments are being more cautious with their spending.

“This is consistent with national and international visitor survey data that shows visitor spending in our region has fallen from its 2023 high of $1.5 billion.”

Wineries and restaurants appeared to bear the brunt of the post-new year slowdown, reporting a drop in visitor numbers.

Some operators saw their spend per head increase compared to previous years, helping to offset some of the revenue loss.

However, Shelter Brewing Co. head of hospitality Ian Baverstock said the venue had a busy summer.

“Shelter had a fantastic summer, the foreshore precinct was busier than ever which translated to higher visitation than last year here at the brewery,” he said.

“We saw a wonderful mix of tourists and locals making the most of the world-class beaches, hospitality and tourism attractions on offer in Busselton.”

Accommodation providers also reported mixed conditions with half of respondents reporting they were on par with last summer or slightly ahead, while the other half were down on business.

Pullman Bunker Bay executive assistant manager Siddharth Kalyanaraman said the resort was busy as usual.

“We were at capacity, but we also found that a lot of people were waiting for last-minute deals,” he said.

Attractions also experienced similarly varied results over the summer trading period.

Margaret River Sessions Surf Shop owner Nick Haslau has joined the chorus of happy business owners bucking reported trade pinches, saying holiday period sales were strong.

“It was an exceptional period,” he said.

“There’s more tourism overseas coming out of their winter into our summer, and east coast people as well wanting to try it (surfing) out as well.”

Looking ahead, the MRBTA said businesses were cautiously optimistic about 2026, with planning under way for new initiatives such as value-add experiences, redevelopments and events, while keeping a watchful eye on increasing business costs such as insurance and interest rate changes.