PORT STEPHENS businesses are holding out hope for a bumper holiday season despite a growing number of COVID-19 cases.
"We've had probably our hardest year since the GFC," Imagine Cruises' owner and Destination Port Stephens treasurer, Frank Future said. "I really don't know how we will cope if case numbers pick up in Nelson Bay."
Mr Future said he has already been impacted by the few cases in Port Stephens, having to rearrange his crew after one of the skippers was made to test and isolate.
"It's worrying because even if there aren't more lockdowns, case numbers mean business will have to pay for deep cleans, booking refunds and those two or three days without a cashflow," he said.
There have been promising signs for business in Nelson Bay over the last two months according to Mr Future. He said easing of travel restrictions meant even the pre-holiday period seemed like a "Christmas rush".
"Very busy - the hospitality side of it is chock-a-block. It's like Boxing Day every day."
Chairman of Destination Port Stephens and Hotel Nelson Owner, Andrew Macdonald, said his business was running on "less than 10 per cent of its normal occupancy rate" during lockdown.
"That figure was taken across a week but some nights we would have nobody in," he said.
"This lockdown hurt a lot more than last time. Last November was the best one we've ever had but this year took all that cashflow away."
Mr Macdonald said this year is already "looking really solid". If the weather stays fine and case numbers stay low, he anticipates the business to start 2021 in a stronger position than it was pre-pandemic.
However with a growing number of COVID cases in the Newcastle area, Mr Macdonald is remaining vigilant. Not only for his business but for the health of his workers.
"We are concerned that the mask wearing and check in rules have lifted just as we are seeing a surge in cases," he said.
"It's a day by day for operators on how we keep our staff and customers safe coming into the busy period."
While he says numbers in the hotel are "looking fine" the concern has been for his café.
"We've closed our Little Nel café for a few days to everyone except hotel patrons," he said.
"We were having 500 people a day through and we just thought it's too difficult to manage. So we said just calm it down and stay safe."
Mr Macdonald said the focus for Destination Port Stephens has been to keep businesses operating safely during the peak season.
"We can't let it get out of control but life must go on," he said.
"It hasn't stopped people going out they are just being a bit more sensible in the way they do it."
Echoing the sentiment of Frank Future, Mr Macdonald said lockdowns have highlighted the region's reliance on tourism.
"It's made us realise that our business is 80, 90 per cent from Sydney. Some local business rely more on international tourism so their recovery will be slower unfortunately," he said.
Due largely to a boom in domestic travel, Port Stephens workers are finding it difficult to secure accommodation in the area.
"I did lose one staff member to the Gold Coast due to a lack of accommodation," Mr Macdonald said.
"My manager was considering moving interstate because she was forced to leave her accommodation and had nowhere else to stay."
Imagine Cruises seasonal worker Megan Watt is one of the lucky ones, staying with her parents when home from university.
"I'm a deckhand - it's a pretty cruisy job," Ms Watt said.
"I'm studying Marine Science in Coffs Harbour but my parents only live about 15 minutes away from the marina."
Ms Watt saidafter a quiet year, Nelson Bay is "pretty hectic" at the moment.
"All our snorkel cruisers are always really full with 20-plus people," she said.
"We do a lot of Christmas parties and it's been pretty popular with Schoolies this year too."
