Tourists Drawn To Paradise

Tourists Drawn To Paradise

Newcastle Herald

Friday January 2, 2009

By DONNA SHARPE

THE "No Vacancy" sign is expected to be flying high at Port Stephens for the early part of 2009 with solid accommodation bookings reported through to Easter.

The Herald reported this week that the popular tourist destination's population had almost trebled for the beginning of the peak tourist season, but that trend is set to continue through February, March and April.

"There wasn't a spare bed here last night," Port Stephens Tourism manager Neville Deuis said yesterday.

When school resumes at the end of January there will be an accommodation turnover, with thousands expected to flock to the Tomaree Peninsula for the annual game fishing tournament, which this year is the 80th anniversary of Newcastle and Port Stephens Game Fishing Club.

Mr Deuis said some of the holiday parks reported solid bookings through to March and into Easter, which falls in April.

He forecast that workers may be forced to take some leave depending on the world financial economy.

"I think there will be a lot of people taking short breaks as businesses get employees to take their accumulated leave," Mr Deuis said.

He said this would augur well for the next few months and, coupled with the game fishing competition and the Easter holidays, would make for healthy trade taking operators through to the whale watching season, which starts in May.

"There are more than 1000 competitors in the game fishing competition, which starts the last week in February and runs into the first week in March, and about 220 boats and this being the 80th anniversary year for the club, we are expecting a bigger crowd," Mr Deuis said.