Australia’s tourism peak body Australian Tourism Industry Council and its Executive Director Simon Westaway have warned tourism businesses are already planning mass redundancies across industry due to the lack of certainty with the impending end of JobKeeper and that to avoid further redundancies tourism enterprises need immediate answers on whether direct federal support will be available.
Westaway said, “Tourism businesses only require short-term assistance until the national vaccine rollout brings back confidence in domestic travel,” and “The federal tourism package must include direct financial assistance to at risk tourism businesses”, adding, “The tourism businesses in the capital cities are most at risk due to the downturn in interstate travel.
He also said, “The tourism Industry is not looking for more grant programs or pork-barrelling in a few regions”, adding, “Direct financial assistance should go to all tourism businesses at risk including sole traders and small family businesses as well as major airlines”, and “Industry surveys show significant tourism job losses and business closures will occur due to a lack of confidence in domestic travel.”
He added, “For example, half of surveyed Victorian tourism enterprises are on JobKeeper and most are experiencing weak forward bookings, a theme repeated across all other states and territories” and “In the case of Victorian tourism businesses, 13 per cent say they will be forced to close their doors, with most indicating significant job losses are already taking place.”
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
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