‘Really positive’ Easter long weekend for Great Ocean Road traders

Tourism operators on the Great Ocean Road have had a stellar Easter weekend, with sunny weather and warm temperatures drawing big crowds to tourist hotspots.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism industry development manager, Jo Birley, says it’s “been a really positive weekend”.

“The good weather meant we could see people out and about,” she told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“The Bells Beach crowd was at capacity all weekend.

“It seemed to be busier all down the coast to sort of Port Fairy, Warrnambool.”

And it’s been a bumper start to the year for traders in the region, too.

“We’ve seen January and February better than pre-pandemic levels so far,” Ms Birley said.

But not all operators have been able to make the most of high tourist patronage, with COVID-19 workforce shortages forcing many to limit their hours of operation.

“People have had to reduce trade … to just try and work as well as they can with the demand, but obviously they don’t necessarily have enough people to make the most of it, unfortunately,” Ms Birley said.

Press PLAY below to hear more about how the long weekend went on the Great Ocean Road