Record high fuel prices have not translated into Easter holiday booking cancellation spree at holiday parks and resorts, a major tourism operator says.
NRMA, which owns about 50 holiday parks and resorts, said there was only a slight drop-off in bookings.
“There have been some cancellations but not at the levels initially feared,” the association’s spokesperson Peter Khoury told AAP.
“That’s to be expected with record high fuel prices.”
A survey conducted in March by the motoring group found that nearly a quarter of drivers at 24 per cent are combining trips to make the tank last a bit longer.
More than 40 per cent polled were also cutting back on driving by between 10 to 30 per cent.
Mr Khoury said cautious consumer confidence was buoyed by the federal government assuring the public of its supply strategy.
“There’s been more certainty around supply, the cut in the excise may have encouraged to people to get in the car and people have started to regulate their behaviour,” he said.
Transport for NSW senior official Rob Austin said the Easter break was traditionally one of the busiest times despite cost of living concerns.
“We know Easter road trips may look a bit different this year for many people, but we are still expecting lots of extra vehicles, especially on key corridors to the regions,” he said.
Fuel price spikes around long weekends reflect both predictable demand cycles and behavioural responses, Western Sydney University academic Amanda Craft said.
“Research on panic buying shows that when motorists anticipate shortages or price rises, they tend to fill up earlier and more often,” she explained.
“This can disrupt holiday travel at the margins, with some drivers facing limited availability or needing to detour – even though the broader system isn’t actually short on fuel at this stage.”
There were 182 service stations without diesel and 48 without unleaded petrol in NSW.
In Victoria 76 service stations had run out of diesel, and 75 were without in Queensland.
“Most of the shortages we’re seeing are in diesel,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Friday.
“Refineries and petrol companies are working hard to refill that stock over the Easter break.”
Mr Bowen asked Australians planning a road trip for the Easter break to fill up in the city beforehand, to help out regional and rural areas which were experiencing greater fuel shortages.
Drivers will get an additional 5.7 cents a litre off their fuel until June 30 as part of a deal between federal and state governments to forgo some GST revenue, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday.
The move follows a cut to the fuel excise, reducing wholesale petrol and diesel costs by around 26 cents a litre, for a total of 32 cents off.