With international borders remaining closed during the March 2021 quarter, domestic travel has rebounded strongly and the performance of the caravan park industry has significantly improved when compared to the same quarter last year. At the same time in 2020, the Eastern States and South Australia were still suffering the impact of bushfires and the early stages of COVID related shut downs.
Cabins have rebounded particularly well, with an increase in occupancy of 12% and sharp jumps in ADR and RevPAR. All categories performed well in the March 2021 quarter, rebounding to a level of occupancy, ADR and RevPAR that exceeds both March 2020 and the March 2019 quarter which was more reflective of regular trading conditions.
Across all short-stay accommodation types, average lead times were higher during the March quarter than the same time last year. While it is commonly understood in the current market that guests are booking with shorter than usual lead times, the influence of Christmas / New Year and the lead up to Easter all fell within the March quarter this year, which may influence this result in non public holiday periods.
Tasmania’s recovery during the March quarter has lagged behind the mainland across all short-stay accommodation categories, highlighting the challenges Tasmania faces to entice tourists across the Bass Strait.