There are fears tourism is slowing down in one of WA's premier food and wine regions, with some operators saying it is becoming harder to rely on Perth tourists to prop up the industry.
Margaret River is one of many regional towns that has experienced a tourism boom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as West Australians holidayed at home in lieu of interstate and international travel.
However, after the WA Government scrapped plans to re-open the state there are concerns about what the future holds for tourism businesses which had a quieter than expected Christmas.
Russell Hogan runs beer and wine tours in Margaret River and said while he saw a big number of visitors tour throughout the pandemic, things were slowing down.
"We're down about 75 per cent on what we would normally run at this time of the year and over the last three months and I don't see that improving anytime soon until our borders do open up."
He said many of those who spent the summer in the South West did not fork out for tours, instead opting to spend their family time at places like the beach.
"It seems to us that they would not spend as much as they would normally spend through the school holidays, and when they did come down to Margaret River they didn't do anything that was costing them money."
Perth travellers have kept Tony Barugh's tour company alive during the pandemic but he said he was not sure what the future held for businesses like his.
"Perth has really supported Margaret River in a big way. I've been very pleased. I have been able to break even over the past two years," he said.
A rough year ahead
Busselton Margaret River Tourism Association's Sharna Kearney said while plenty of people were still visiting the region, tour operators were experiencing a lull.
"Accommodation providers and hospitality venues would all say that they've been very busy over this period, but tours and attractions and experiences haven't been doing as well as they would normally," she said.
"I think there's fatigue from the Perth market.
Ms Kearney said as COVID-19 clusters emerged around WA, people were more hesitant to do activities with others.
"I think we're probably in for quite a rocky period in terms of tourism over the next six months," she said.
Ms Kearney said interstate visitors would be crucial in lifting these businesses up.
