Only about half the number of people will be able to holiday at Warrnambool's council-run beachside caravan parks this summer under a ballot system being rolled out this week.
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COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have prompted the move to limit the number of holidaymakers to 1800 across 500 sites at Surfside and Shipwreck Bay holiday parks rather than the usual 3500.
Acting chief executive officer Vicki King said it had been a difficult decision to make.
"We're mindful of our need to comply with COVID-19 regulations and we can't be complacent in our approach to staying safe," she said. "The ballot is about equity and safety."
The ballot process to allocate campsites aimed to give those who had pre-booked sites this summer an equal chance of enjoying a week-long stay.
Ms King said those with summer bookings had been advised in September they were unlikely to operate at full capacity.
"We've received a considerable amount of feedback on the plan - positive and negative - and we do understand that for some there is great frustration that a long-standing summer camping tradition is being interrupted," she said.
"But we simply can't allocate spaces on the basis that someone who has been visiting for 20 years has a greater entitlement than someone who has been visiting for 15 years.
"So we've opted for the ballot to provide everyone with the same opportunity."
She said ballots were used elsewhere including Tidal River at Wilsons Promontory and Cape Conran Coastal Park.
Ms King said the council hoped to return to normal operation next summer.
"There has been some commentary about what other holiday parks around Victoria are doing but each park is different and each park has to make decisions in accordance with regulations and with guests and staff safety in mind," she said.
"While some smaller parks may be able to open at normal capacity, others such as the Mornington Peninsula council-owned park, will be closed completely over the peak holiday period."
Ms King said if parks operated at full capacity there would be challenges around social distance compliance, particularly around the use of shared amenity blocks.
"Even at the reduced capacity we will still have an increased cleaning and hygiene program operating to ensure the safety of guests and staff," she said.
"We will still have that great festive atmosphere but with one-in-two campsites being made available it will be a safe, festive atmosphere."
Ms King said other creative ways to accommodate additional visitors in a safe and compliant way had been explored such as using other open spaces or bringing in additional temporary amenity blocks.
However, she said they believed the decision to operate at a lower-than-normal capacity was an appropriate balance between meeting safety concerns of the community and encouraging activity to support local businesses.
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