Bookings for Schoolies could be full by mid year. The downside is the cost of staying there for a week is skyrocketing.
There is going to be some upset kids come the end of the year, if not sooner.
From The Gold Coast Bulletin
Gold Coast Schoolies 2010 rooms fill up
| January 15th, 2010
SCHOOLIES accommodation could be full before mid-year, with about 20,000 year 12 students already booked in.
Bookschoolies.com CEO Matt Lloyd said bookings were up 10 per cent on last year and two thirds of available accommodation on offer had been snapped up.
It comes as other destinations — such as Bali, Fiji, Lorne, Byron Bay, Airlie Beach, Sunshine Coast, and Magnetic Island — attempt to lure teenagers from the glitter strip.
"I’ve seen no signs of any decrease in demand on the Coast," said Mr Lloyd.
"We’re selling Bali and Fiji but it’s not affecting the Gold Coast numbers.
"I just don’t think anywhere else has got the infrastructure that the Gold Coast has in regards to the amount of accommodation and it’s obviously such a great spot with Cavill Mall and the beach."
Mr Lloyd said the average price was $570 a week but some two bedroom apartments charged up to $1000 a week.
He said a booking binge would start next month when students returned to school.
"We’ve got capacity for 28,000 students so that’s 14,000 beds per week," he said.
Concerns about a lack of consultation with the business community about Schoolies has prompted a commitment from Minister for Community Services Karen Struthers to meet with people on the Gold Coast to discuss the issues.
Ms Struthers said she was open to a community forum about Schoolies issues.
"We need to make sure the good outweighs the bad with Schoolies," she said.
Surfers Paradise/Broadbeach Chamber of Commerce president Laura Younger said she would love to discuss the issues with Ms Struthers.
"There are a lot of issues that need to be fleshed out in relation to its impact on the Gold Coast as a whole," she said.
Ms Struthers said she was waiting to receive a review of Schoolies but was unable to confirm who had been consulted.
The business community is not believed to have been widely consulted.
Gold Coast Combined Chamber of Commerce president Bob Janssen said the annual festival was a contentious issue as businesses were split over whether it was a profitable period because adults usually boycotted the destination.
"If it could be controlled within a reasonable social outlook it would be a good thing," he said.
* Businesses can give feedback to the Schoolies hotline on 13 13 04.
