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Shaun Kelly, owner-operator of the Absoloot Backpackers in Queenstown, says his hostel is operating at 25% occupancy and that he does not expect the outlook to improve for the rest of the year. “In terms of the business environment, to be honest, it’s awful … Any evidence to say that we’re doing OK is wrong.”
Many communities more than a few hours’ drive from major centres – such as the West Coast glacier towns Franz Josef and Fox, Te Anau and Lake Wānaka – are suffering the same pressures.
They have been left out of New Zealand’s Covid-19 success story, Kelly says. “It would make a huge difference if central government would acknowledge that there are industries that haven’t recovered.”