Echuca-Moama's tourism has been left decimated after varying lockdown measures between Victoria and NSW have left the twin towns as an "undesirable destination".
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The parliamentary inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and events sectors interviewed Echuca-Moama Tourism chief executive Kathryn McKenzie who said the cost was immense after the NSW snap lockdown over New Year's Eve saw 35,000 tourists disappear.
"Our phones are running hot about whether people can come up for the Queen's Birthday long weekend and cancellations have already started," Ms McKenzie said.
"The New Year's Eve announcement happened so quickly as it has to with hotspots arising but people were on the river and didn't even know they had to leave.
"We need the government to be more thoughtful in calling the lockdowns as we went from absolutely full occupancy to no one."
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Moama's Rich River Golf Club marketing manager Paul Lavars said 95 per cent of the club's business came from Victoria.
"Going into the New Year we were very optimistic but with the lockdown we lost 20 days of our biggest month," he said. "We expected to make $200,000 in January and we lost $300,000.
"Now, in June, we're sitting at a two per cent occupancy rate and our staffing costs are eating up our income.
"When there's a lockdown impact on either side of the bridge, it makes Echuca-Moama a very undesirable destination.
"I never thought I'd notice a border like I do now."
Mr Lavars and Echuca's American Hotel owner Dean Oberin have called for more federal government assistance to support their staff.
Mr Oberin said the lack of government support for international workers was particularly difficult to navigate and he had lost his highly-skilled pastry chef due to a lack of financial aid.
"The regional sponsorship visa holders were not eligible for JobKeeper," he said. "In order to get that visa in the first place we had to prove there was a need for the job, advertise it and prove that it could not be filled by an Australian citizen.
"One of our visa holders was our pastry chef Matt and he went through lockdown, along with the other regional sponsors, with no government assistance, only what we could help with.
"After we got through lockdown, Matt said he wasn't sure he could go through it again, cut his losses, went home and is now working in the Scottish Highlands.
"The regional sponsorship visas are fulfilling a role that could not have been fulfilled before and as part of the visa they are tied to the employer so they can't work anywhere else.
"On the back of COVID, who's going to fill these jobs?"
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On a busy summer weekend, Mr Oberin said the American Hotel expected to earn around $150,000 and over popular events like the Southern 80 and Riverboats Music Festival income raised to between $200,000 to $300,000.
In 2021, both these events were cancelled.
Mr Oberin said Victoria's fourth lockdown had really tested the hospitality industry and with different restrictions enforced in Echuca and Moama due to the border, businesses were hurting.
"This lockdown is really testing," he said. "I know some hospitality owners who are reducing their capacity because of the lack of staff and others are plating up food they wouldn't typically be proud of.
"We're two towns that are meant to be acting in a bubble as one but there are still anomalies between us which are confusing for everyone.
"We suffer on both sides of the border as we're co-dependant on each other for the full experience.
"The one-in-all-in approach is killing us.
"After 25 years in the industry, I'm not sure whether I'm the glass-half-full man anymore."
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