Impact of Daylight Savings on Small Hospitality and Tourism Businesses: A Western Australian Case Study

Abstract

This study examines the impacts of daylight savings among small businesses represented by a group of 41 operators consisting of small wineries, bed and breakfast, food factories and other facilities open to the public located in and around Perth, the capital of Western Australia. While the largest group of respondents in this study did not perceive any major impacts of daylight savings to their businesses, just over one-third of operators viewed daylight savings as detrimental to their businesses. The overall findings clearly reflect the ongoing heated political debate in Western Australia and have a number of implications for businesses, including the fact that daylight savings is affecting operators' lifestyle and working patterns. Further, as some respondents indicated, daylight savings also appears to be affecting their customers' behavior, with resulting potential negative consequences for their operations.