A SPLIT Easter and first term school holidays has been listed as one of the factors behind a less than boisterous start for the region's accommodation houses.
With only a short Easter break and just one week of school holidays, most major accommodation outlets in Cairns are reporting a disappointing first quarter bookings.
And while the region is moving into the peak visitor season, there is a diversity of views about whether it will be a good season.
As well as the school holiday change, the high-value Australian dollar, rising interest rates and cheap overseas flights are all listed as contributing factors to lower-than-expected room occupancy.
Shangri-La general manager Bruno Cristol said April had so far been disappointing with only a 72 per cent occupancy, below last year’s.
"The first two weeks were quiet but things have improved slightly," Mr Cristol said, adding there were positive bookings in May but the June projections were not so strong.
"Last year we had the APEC conference and occupancy was about 80 per cent. This year we are looking at high 60s in June," he said.
Rydges is reporting differing figures for its three properties: Rydges Esplande, Rydges Plaza and Rydges Tradewinds.
"Location and conference facilities mean each property has different bookings," Rydges area general manager Simon White White said.
However, he said the whole market was down and the next few months’ performance would be based on what specials chains were able to get out into the domestic market.
"Tourism is at the top of its cycle and it is going to be a lot tougher over the next few months," Mr White said.
It had also been fairly quiet at Palm Cove, Novotel Rockford Resort spokesman said.
"The short school holiday season didn’t help and this has been across the hotel and apartments," he said. However, the May/June/July bookings were "solid", he said.
Hotel and resort analysts, Dransfield Hotels & Resorts, reported a 2.4 per cent drop in demand for rooms in Cairns in the December quarter, making it a 2 per cent fall over the year.
