Accommodation providers on the Far South Coast are in somewhat of a quandary as summer approaches, with long-time Victorian holidaymakers hoping the NSW-Victorian border closure will soon be lifted and their regular bookings to visit the region can be fulfilled.
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Michelle Rose and her husband Nick manage Heritage House on the main street in Eden and said the biggest problem facing them at the moment is how long to hold Victorian bookings for.
"These are valued customers who have been coming for multiple years, they're almost part of the family," Ms Rose said
"I really feel for Victorians and the position they are in, I hate to think we could be hurting them any more after what they have had to go through.
"We can't have another summer that we don't get business, but this is an emotional decision to make, not a clear-cut business decision, as these people have supported our family over the years," Ms Rose said.
Having spoken to Destination NSW a couple of times to try and get a sense of what the industry is doing, Ms Rose said she has not had any great insights in to what will happen, but will likely make a decision by the beginning of November.
With COVID-19 restrictions thoroughly impacting international travel, the domestic market is seeing an enormous increase overall.
Many Eden accommodation providers were heavily booked over the recent long weekend, with most visitors from Canberra and surrounds.
"I do feel that either way, people are travelling, we are getting new visitors and have had exposure to several new markets, so it's quite good from that perspective," Ms Rose said.
Lyn Carlson, manager of Garden of Eden Caravan Park, said the tourist park had been flooded with booking enquiries from other parts of NSW and the ACT in recent weeks.
"They know already they're not able to go to Queensland - they're all panicking and trying to book things now," Ms Carlson said.
"Most of our Victorian regulars still have credit with us from the fires as we couldn't take them then - a lot of people have been coming here each summer for 20, 25, 30 years.
"They're desperate to come for a holiday and I can absolutely understand why, but it's becoming critical to make decisions on whether or not to cancel those bookings," she said.
Ms Carlson said the park desperately needs the business over summer after an incredibly stressful year.
"How long should we wait? Some parks are drawing a line now," she said.
"Nobody can give me any answers, but we haven't had a case here, the government should move the bubble back further, they're not thinking logically about the small towns that are suffering."
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