NSW lockdown sees school holiday visitation to Snowy Mountains fall by 70%

The NSW Government’s ‘stay at home’ Coronavirus lockdown measures affecting Sydney and surrounding areas have resulted in a 70% fall in check in numbers at the state’s Blue Mountains snow resorts.

In a week that had been expected to be at 100% occupancy, Mountainwatch has reported that, as of Sunday, check-ins for this week in Jindabyne, Thredbo and Perisher had dropped to as low at 30%.

Writing on Mountainwatch yesterday, Reggae Elliss reported “while visitors from regional NSW and the ACT may take advantage of the availability of lift tickets and accommodation and fill in some gaps, the lockdown is a big blow for the NSW resorts, Snowy Mountains businesses and the local community.

“The point was driven home when I walked through Thredbo Village at 8am this morning and passed only one person and the shuttle buses were empty. Normally on the first day of school holidays the village is full, there are lines at the bust stops and there is a bustling vibe. This morning it feel like mid-November.”

Ian Foster, former President of Thredbo Chamber of Commerce and owner of the Lantern accommodation services in Thredbo, one of the resorts biggest operators, told Mountainwatch on Monday that their check-ins were down to 50% and is “still dropping”, adding “it is devastating for businesses and the many guests who have had to cancel their holidays. We just hope the lockdown delivers a result.”

The two-week lockdown for Greater Sydney and the surrounding areas of the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour - halting all non essential activities - was introduced from 6pm on Saturday, the first day of the NSW school holidays.

For the rest of NSW, the restrictions include mandatory wearing of face masks in non-residential indoor settings, the requirement to be seated while drinking at licensed premises and the re-introduction of one person per four square metres rule for all indoor and outdoor settings.

The expected downturn in sales over the next two weeks for ski/snowboard retailers, both in the mountains and the locked down areas, will be significant and will have a rippling affect throughout the Australian snow industry, which just recovering after the massive hit it took last year.

However, unlike Victoria in 2020, Thredbo, Perisher and Charlotte Pass are open for visitors from regional NSW and the ACT and will continue to operate under COVID-19 Operating Plans developed under the guidance of NSW Heath.