WA Easter travel: fuel price and shortage fears stall road trips, deter interstate and international tourists

West Aussies are hitting the brakes on Easter getaways, with soaring fuel prices and supply concerns forcing many to rethink plans — while international travellers are also growing uneasy amid global uncertainty. For local road trippers the rising cost of diesel, coupled with fears of fuel shortages in remote areas, is deterring would-be adventurers from taking to the open road. Popular cross-country routes — including the long stretch across the Nullarbor — are now seen by some as a gamble rather than a getaway. Travel influencers Lauren Thompson and Jet Wilson are among those reconsidering their plans, admitting they are feeling “nervous” about an upcoming interstate road trip. “We’re actually meant to head over to Melbourne from Perth in two weeks,” 21-year-old Ms Thompson said. “We’re a little bit unsure if we will go because of how much it’s going to cost us with the price of fuel at the moment, “Were also not sure if there is fuel limitations along the Nullarbor, so we don’t want to run out of fuel and get stuck.” The pair had also been planning something far more ambitious — a long-awaited lap around Australia — but said the price of fuel is no longer feasible. “The cost to fill up the car was around $200 to $250 a tank,” Mr Wilson said. “But at the moment it’s around $300 to $350 so it’s an extra $100 each tank, and doing a lap with that pricing is just not in the budget at the moment.” Their hesitation reflects a broader trend, with accommodation providers reporting a growing number of cancellations and enquiries from travellers weighing their options. Ningaloo Caravan and Holiday Resort park manager Rachel Wells said the uncertainty is affecting both Australian and international visitors. “We have had a few cancellations,” Ms Wells said. “If there has been any cancellations, it has been from interstate because the general feel is that they may have trouble getting across the Nullarbor, they may have trouble accessing fuel and that is a huge expense if they’re coming from that far away. “We also have internationals cancelling because of flights, so it’s not just the fuel issue.” Ms Wells expects cancellation numbers to keep climbing in the coming weeks. “Most of our emails at the moment are queries asking about the cancellation policy and what is going to happen if they cancel,” she said. “From these queries we’re expecting more cancellations, I think people are just trying to work out what to do at the moment.” RAC’s Rhys Heron said bookings at caravan parks — including Cable Beach Holiday Park, Exmouth Cape Holiday Park, Ningaloo Reef Resort and Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort — “remain strong” but he admitted fear among travellers is noticeable. “Like most tourism providers, we are seeing an increase in enquiries from current and prospective guests,” Mr Heron said. Louise and Neville, who live in Rockingham, had plans to travel to Phuket with their children over the Easter period but decided to cancel their flights. “Our change of holiday plans was directly attributed to concerns about cancellation of flights and the fact that after researching travel insurance, nothing would cover delayed or changed holiday bookings,” Louise said. Instead, the family is now preparing to head south to Margaret River. But they are now faced with a new set of risks. “I think our biggest concern is fuel availability for the return drive to Perth,” she said. “We will monitor it closer to our travel dates to see if we need to look at back up plans.” The director of Bicton and Claremont Travel, Phil Smethurst, said choosing an “alternative destination to holiday” is a reoccurring theme among those with plans to travel this Easter. “While some clients who were initially caught up in the crisis have had their trips cancelled, most travellers are staying committed to their plans,” he said. “(They are) either rebooking through Asia flight corridors, or choosing an alternative destination to holiday.” International travellers who were hoping to spend Easter in WA are still finding ways to do so. Kevin Mattaboni, director of Travel Forever — a strictly inbound travel agency — said no bookings to WA had been formally scrapped. “None of them have actually cancelled at the moment but all of them have said they may,” he said. Mr Mattaboni said his clients are choosing to change their flight path to avoid the Middle East — no matter the cost. “I know specifically one set of clients that are coming from Sweden, they have changed their flights,” he said. “They were originally flying from Stockholm through Abu Dhabi to Perth. They’ve cancelled those flights and they’re now doing Singapore Airlines, so they don’t have to stop in the Middle East at all. “I think almost everyone is trying to do that if they can.” With demand shifting, airlines that bypass the Middle East are capitalising. Mr Mattaboni said companies offering alternative routes are “definitely” increasing prices as travellers scramble for perceived safer options, though the higher fares have so far failed to deter customers. Mr Mattaboni added, “Qantas have upped their fares massively”. “I haven’t had any complaints from clients about it, people still want to travel, they still want their vacation,” he said. Australian Hotels Association chief executive officer Bradley Woods said the flow-on effects are beginning to be felt across the tourism and hospitality sector. “We are beginning to see indications that some international visitors have changed plans, and now a small number of domestic travellers are reviewing plans due to reported fuel availability on some interstate routes and related trip-planning uncertainty,” he said. “We are also seeing Australians that had plans to travel overseas redirecting their travel plans to stay in Western Australia.” He added that while travellers to some regions are being cautious, overall demand in popular WA towns remains steady. “Key destinations, such as Broome, Exmouth, Coral Bay and Margaret River, are still trading steadily relative to seasonal expectations,” he said. “Some interstate drive tourism areas are seeing some caution, mainly due to fuel availability concerns, not cost.”