Australia’s tourism industry faces collapse as Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refuses to reopen borders until September.
With 1 in 13 Australian employed in tourism and without health advice to shut State borders in the first place, stakeholders in Australia’s tourism industry think reopening state borders is in order.
Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment says with the national success in managing COVID 19 within the nation if pubs, restaurants, and public places resume with appropriate social distancing, there is no reason borders cannot reopen before September.
Margy Osmond, CEO Transport and Tours Forum says the tourism industry suffered a double hit from the bushfires and COVID 19. Margy is optimistic that domestic tourism would resume around July as States are expected to open their borders. However, she expressed that the industry needs some certainty as to when the borders will reopen so the industry can adequately prepare.
Research by Newgate for the Transport and Tours Forum shows that Australians are anxious to get out of their homes, and the first place people want to visit is the Goal Coast in Queensland.
Margy says research has also found that millennials and people over 50 are interested in going overseas.
She also supports setting up a travel bubble countries that have similar coronavirus profile and management with Australia and New Zealand tops the list according to the CEO because of their mutually beneficial relationship.
Both Australian and New Zealand leadership forums are working to create a plan that makes travelers and the government comfortable about a travel bubble, and Margay thinks this could happen before the end of the calendar year.
