Riordan launches campaign to stay local and book local

THE coronavirus restrictions have eased and are set to ease further, and Polwarth MP Richard Riordan MP has started a “Stay Local, Book Local” campaign aimed at people who are planning their next holiday.
He is urging people to phone accommodation providers directly instead of using one of the many online booking services, which he said appeared to offer good deals but actually took a large part of the tourist dollar for themselves.
Mr Riordan said a quick search for accommodation along the Great Ocean Road revealed the extent of the reach of these large companies.
“They use the profits they make to ensure that they gain the top slots in search engines, which means that every time you go online, they come up first, beating local providers who cannot afford the same promotion costs.
“It is a difficult situation for our smaller boutique accommodation providers who cannot survive on direct bookings now that travellers have become accustomed to using online booking sites.”
He said many of these large companies were based overseas, and had “huge marketing budgets that flood the media with campaigns encouraging tourists to use their sites”.
“Our much-loved tourist destinations are now so overwhelmed by the control of these companies that they are forced to pay the fees in order to survive and subsequently lose up to 22 per cent of their income.
“These are dollars leaving our towns, taking employment opportunities and restricting the owner’s spend on maintenance.
“Despite strong marketing to the contrary, a call direct to your favourite place to stay will often end up in a good deal for everyone, and that’s why I am asking everyone who is choosing to stay local to book local.”