Echuca Moama Accommodation Association co-president and Murray River Resort owner Steve Shipp also happens to be the president of the Moama Water Sports Club — the group behind the staging of the world-famous ski event.
Mr Shipp said yesterday his bookings had gone from 38 to two as a result of the event being pushed back.
He said his experience was typical of the impact the change of date would have on the Echuca-Moama community this weekend.
Business owners will suffer the consequences after the decision was made to postpone the popular event.
The Southern 80 will now be held from May 13 to 15 after it was postponed due to emergency services staff not having enough personnel to help support the event.
As bookings are being cancelled left, right and centre, the accommodation industry is one of the most severely impacted.
“It’s a big hole to fill. The industry is going to lose out,” Mr Shipp said.
“Thirty-six of the 38 bookings at the resort this weekend have been cancelled as a result of the event being delayed.
He said it had been a “big blow” to the economy and to the region.
“We’ve got to look after tourism. Tourism is the lifeblood of Echuca and Moama,” he said.
Mr Shipp said there was nothing the club could do about the postponement of the race.
“As a club our hands were tied. You can’t run an event like this without emergency services,” he said.
Mr Shipp said the final decision was made by representatives of emergency services, who held a meeting earlier in the year.
“We weren’t involved in that meeting. We didn’t get any input into the decision and that’s the part that we are really upset about,” Mr Shipp said.
Echuca Moama Accomodation Association co-president Paul Lavars shared the feeling of disappointment.
He said most of the twin towns’ accommodation venues were expecting to have 100 per cent occupancy for the peak weekend.
“Probably less than a quarter of them have retained their bookings,” he said.
“Most of them have cancelled or have wanted to move their bookings to the new May Southern 80 date.”
Mr Lavars said although he was hoping the event would go ahead, nothing was certain in a time where events were consistently being cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said everyone in the business industry was hesitant when creating or planning events.
“It just makes you nervous because it doesn’t take much to derail any of that planning,” he said.
Mr Lavars is also the guest services and marketing manager at Rich River Golf Club.
He said the club had been fortunate enough to retain some bookings as, even though the Southern 80 had been pushed back, guests are still able to play golf.
However, according to Mr Lavars, there will still be a significant impact on both the bistro and the club in general.
He said 60,000 people were supposed to be coming to town, and when they cancelled their bookings there was bound to be a profound impact on all local business owners.
“Everybody hurts when a big event like this doesn’t happen,” Mr Lavars said.
“It’s just disappointing for everyone. Everybody gets to the new year and hopes that the next year isn’t going to have the same interruptions, but unfortunately we’re not very far into this year and we’re still battling quite a few challenges.”
One of the primary challenges for business owners has been trying to stay afloat amid frequent staff shortages.
Despite the dissipating morale among business owners, Mr Lavars tried to remain optimistic.
“The main thing is we’re open and we are in a far better situation than we have been in the last two years, so that’s something to be positive about,” he said.
EMAA is encouraging people from other regions to visit for the weekend regardless of the Southern 80 being postponed.
The organisation hopes people will take up last-minute bookings.
“At the end of the day, for all tourists in general that are in the marketplace, very rarely do you get an opportunity to secure accommodation on a beautiful summer weekend up here,” Mr Lavars said.
“Now that there’s some availability, come up here and enjoy a weekend in Echuca-Moama.”
EMAA realises that some people may not be able to postpone their original holiday but it remains hopeful that tourists will see the event in May as a unique way to experience the race.
“It’s something that’s still worth seeing. It’s just a different way to view the race,” Mr Lavars said
He said there was a certain sort of appeal that came with the event being held near winter.
He said everyone could rug up and watch the race next to a toasty fire.
“They certainly won’t have to contend with flies and mosquitoes at that time of year, so there are some positives,” Mr Lavars said.
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