The ACT’s hospitality industry was bracing itself for a horror day of trade yesterday, with some business groups anticipating worse figures than last year, when bustling restaurant precincts became “ghost towns”.

By comparison, the roads into Batemans Bay and Moruya were extremely busy on Saturday and accommodation bookings were strong for the Melbourne Cup long weekend.

Cup Day was one of the busiest days for the Canberra hospitality industry until it was made a public holiday by the ACT Government last year in response to the Howard Government’s WorkChoices laws, which abolished Canberra’s union picnic day.

The holiday is also gazetted for next year but will be reassessed in 2010.

Australian Hotels Association ACT

general manager Steven Fanner said the holiday caused many restaurants not

to open their doors yesterday because

of increased staff wages and lack of

bookings.

ACT Chamber of Commerce chief

executive Chris Peters said many people saw it as an opportunity to have a four-day weekend.

He estimated that last year the public holiday cost businesses around $300 million in potential earnings. This year was expected to be no different.

The catering industry is also losing out on business once generated by Cup Day celebrations in the workplace.

Carlo Tosolini, of Tosolini’s in Civic, said his business takings for catering on Melbourne Cup Day dropped from about $8000 to “not one cent” last year.

Restaurants and Catering ACT

president Fiona Wright described it as “diabolical” to the industry and said she would lobby “very hard” to have the public holiday removed next year.

However, South Coast businesses have revelled in the increased presence of Canberrans.

Eurobodalla Coast Tourism manager John Pugsley said bookings from Canberra had been very strong.

“The Canberra long weekend is always an opportunity for the Canberra community to take a four-day break and the Eurobodalla Coast is a perfect escape,” he said.