Tourist Accommodation in Resource Regions, 2013
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Tourist accommodation in resource regions, 2013 Report on the supply and availability of commercial tourist accommodation in key resource regions of Queensland in June 2013, and its occupation by drive tourists and resource industry workers. Queensland Government Statistician’s Office Queensland Treasury and Trade http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au © The State of Queensland (Queensland Treasury and Trade) 2014 You are free to copy, communicate and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the authors. This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au. To attribute this work cite Tourist accommodation in resource regions, Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Queensland Treasury and Trade. All data and information in this report are believed to be accurate and have come from sources believed to be reliable. However, Queensland Treasury and Trade, does not guarantee or represent that the data and the information are accurate, up to date or complete, and disclaims liability for all claims, losses, damages or costs of whatever nature and howsoever occurring, arising as a result of relying on the data and information, regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise. Tourist accommodation in resource regions ii Contents Technical notes ........................................................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................................................................... iv Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................................................................... v Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Background to resource regions .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Survey results .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 LGA summaries ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Summary and conclusions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendices ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 30 Tourist accommodation in resource regions iii Technical notes This report draws upon accommodation information gathered by Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (QGSO) as part of its Resource Communities Research program, supplemented by primary data collections undertaken for the purpose of this study. QGSO’s annual Survey of Accommodation Providers counts non-resident workers staying in worker accommodation villages (WAVs), hotels, motels, caravan parks and other commercial accommodation in resource regions on a medium to long-term basis during the last week of June each year. The 2013 survey included supplementary questions to inform this study. A one-off survey of accommodation providers was also conducted in the parts of these regions not directly associated with resource industry activity and not usually covered by the annual Survey of Accommodation Providers (the Gemfields in Central Highlands (R), the town of Bowen in Whitsunday (R) (Bowen only) and parts of Toowoomba (R)). Data presented in this report are a point-in-time measure, based on the information available at the time of survey. The nominal date for the survey response was a typical day during the week ending Friday 28 June 2013. Non-resident worker numbers and their take-up of commercial accommodation may vary in response to changing production demands, prevailing weather and industrial disputes. At the time of the 2013 survey, the number of non-resident workers on-shift was unaffected by adverse weather events or industrial action. Drive tourist numbers and demand for accommodation vary by season and other factors. The survey was conducted during peak drive tourist season. While drive tourists comprise the overwhelming majority of all tourists who visit the study area, the group identified in this report as ‘drive tourists’ may also include other tourists staying in commercial accommodation at the time of the survey. In some areas, the number of non-resident workers on-shift in hotels/motels includes workers counted in other forms of overflow accommodation or head-leased housing (including serviced apartments and rental houses). These accommodation units are not included in the count of hotel/motel rooms for these areas. The Bowen, Surat and Galilee Basins refer to the geological formations or coal basins that give these regions their names. For the purposes of reporting population statistics, QGSO has defined these regions in demographic rather than geological terms, to include relevant populations and align with the statistical geography used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Local government area (LGA) boundaries are based on the 2011 edition of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Whitsunday (R) (Bowen only) comprises the Statistical Areas, Level 2 (SA2s) of Bowen and Collinsville, equivalent to the area of former Bowen Shire. Figures in tables have been rounded to the nearest five. As a result of rounding, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals. Percentages and other calculations are made prior to rounding of figures and discrepancies might therefore exist between these calculations and those that could be derived from the rounded figures. QGSO’s 2013 population reports for the Bowen Basin, Surat Basin and Gladstone region are available on-line at http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/products/publications/index.php. Acknowledgements QGSO acknowledges the support and assistance of all accommodation providers who participated in primary data collections conducted for the purposes of this study in 2013, as well as organisations that assisted in promoting it, including: Caravan Parks Association of Queensland Queensland Hotels Association Accommodation Association of Australia Regional Tourism Organisations. Tourist accommodation in resource regions iv Executive summary With fly-in/fly-out or drive-in/drive-out (FIFO/DIDO) work arrangements commonplace in the mining, gas and construction industries, Queensland’s resource regions now have significant populations of non-resident workers. While on-shift, most of these workers stay in worker accommodation villages (WAVs), however, some also occupy commercial accommodation such as hotels, motels and caravan parks. During periods of industry expansion, the non-resident workforce of an area may grow substantially and add to existing demand for many services, including accommodation. To date, the extent to which accommodation demand presented by non-resident workers overlaps with demand from drive tourists has been difficult to verify. Consultation undertaken by the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games (DTESB) in 2012 during early development of the Queensland Drive Tourism Strategy 2013–2015 highlighted concerns by tourists and operators regarding limited availability of tourist accommodation in some resource communities. Qualitative information gathered suggested that some tourists were bypassing these areas altogether, while others were driving unsafe distances in order to find accommodation. This study, and the survey data that support it, was commissioned by DTESB to provide a quantitative evidence base to inform further stakeholder discussions, and to answer the following questions: Does demand for accommodation for resource industry workers adversely affect availability for drive tourists? How does demand vary by visitor and accommodation type? Where are accommodation shortages most acute? Are there peak periods when demand is most acute? How has the supply of and demand for accommodation changed over time? What factors are likely to drive future demand? Where are the future hotspots? The study reports the take-up of commercial accommodation by non-resident workers and drive tourists in Queensland’s major resource regions at the end of June 2013, which is during the peak tourist season. Time series data from collections undertaken by Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (QGSO) in June 2011 and June 2012 are also presented, which provide a basis for examining changes to supply and demand over that period. Regions covered by the study include the Bowen Basin, the Surat Basin, the Gladstone region and the emerging Galilee Basin. Summary findings With a few exceptions, the availability of hotel/motel