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Economic woes not stopping restaurant visits

Posted November 6, 2008 13:11:00

There appears to be no lack of disposable income in Queensland when it comes to eating out.

Restaurant and Catering Queensland says some businesses have had to restrict trade because of staff shortages in tourist centres including the Gold Coast, Cairns and Whitsundays.

Chief executive James Visser says people are still spending, with the drop in interest rates and fuel prices putting more money in diners' pockets.

"People are concerned in some respects that 2009 may not be the best in terms of outlook, but that's not going to cancel Christmas and certainly the Christmas trading season," he said.

"The new year festive season has been traditionally a very high point for us, so at this point we're not saying there's any cause for panic just yet."

Tags: economic-trends, food-and-beverage, hospitality, cairns-4870, mackay-4740, southport-4215, whitsundays-4802