The Australian Christmas school holidays are coming, along with an abundance of holiday bookings!
We all know 2020 has been unique – to say the least! While Europeans spent their summer vacation time travelling to other countries, Australians remain unable to travel outside of the country and we are just now seeing state border restrictions easing, forcing Australians to spend their vacations locally. These “staycations” are impacting greatly on availability of corporate temporary accommodation over the December to February months. And this in turn is affecting both availability and rates for our corporate accommodation requirements for transferees.
With relaxed domestic borders, more travel exemptions being approved and Australia’s incoming persona quota rising, we are seeing an increase in movement with our corporate transferees grateful to finally fulfil their relocation plans. While this is a very positive development, it is important to be mindful of our current temporary accommodation availability over our festive season.
The summer holiday months have always meant a combination of reduced options and increased rates, in particular within the furnished accommodation market and in popular coastal suburbs. This year, however, not being allowed to leave Australia for holiday purposes, Australians are looking to explore their own backyard. This in turn means more locals are booking local accommodation options for their family getaways this summer.
While hotel rooms in the capital cities are still performing under their usual occupancy levels, many temporary accommodation providers have reduced their portfolio, leasing their apartments on the long-term rental market. The domino effect of this is that we are experiencing an even higher drop in corporate temporary accommodation availability and further increases in rates.
According to the ABC News, while accommodation providers saw occupancy rates drop by up to 90% across Australia through to September, business is now picking up. Accommodation providers have learnt to reassess their clientele, focusing more on Australians than overseas and business travellers. Some areas in Western Australia and Queensland have recorded approx. 35% higher occupancy compared to last year and accommodation in Queensland’s tourist hubs, for example, are said to be up by 300%.
As such, it is important to acknowledge, depending on where you require temporary accommodation, there may be fewer options to select from, or higher nightly rates than you had initially budgeted for, or even a combination of both!
For those travelling into Australia, the current 2-week mandatory quarantine upon arrival also means to your actual accommodation start dates may push you further into the Australian holiday season. For more information on Australia's Quarantine requirements, click here.
Elite Woodhams Relocation have strong relationships with a vast number of corporate accommodation providers throughout Australia through which we continue to be able to secure accommodation options for our clients’ enquiries over the December and January periods. Should you or an employee require temporary corporate accommodation in the next few months, we recommend you reach out to us as soon as your arrival dates are secured so that we can work our magic and fulfil your accommodation needs.
Contact us at accommodation@ewrelocation.com
Written by: Liesl Baldock – Client Account Manager and Temporary Accommodation Specialist