Tourism operators are warning the uncertainty over state border closures is continuing to hurt businesses across Australia, with almost two thirds of people surveyed not planning on travelling anywhere this Easter.
Key points:
- Nearly two thirds of people surveyed by the Tourism and Transport Forum said they would not be travelling this Easter
- More than half of those surveyed said uncertainty over state border closures would affect their travel chances over the next year
- Discount airfares aimed at supporting the tourism industry start Thursday
The survey carried out for the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) canvassed the views of around 1,000 people around the country in mid-March, before the latest COVID-19 clusters were reported in Queensland.
Sixty-three per cent of people surveyed said they would not be travelling anywhere over the Easter period, while 32 per cent said they would not be travelling anywhere over the next 12 months.
Forty-two per cent of respondents said uncertainty over state border restrictions had negatively affected their intention to travel over Easter, while 53 per cent said it had hurt their chances of travelling in the next 12 months.
TTF chief executive Margy Osmond said the data showed fears about border closures were damaging chances of an Easter tourism boost, even before states and territories imposed new restrictions in response to Queensland's COVID-19 cases.
"I think that this week has been a classic example, every single state has reacted just slightly differently, which is enough to confuse anybody who might be thinking about travel for leisure or for business, more importantly," she said.
"What we really need here is once and for all, the states and the federal government to find some sort of agreement on a uniform set of responses and we need that vaccination process rolled out as quickly as possible, with a set of agreed outcomes and relaxation of restrictions etcetera, based around that vaccination schedule."
AAP: Dan Peled
)Ms Osmond said while national tourism spending over the Easter long weekend would normally reach around $3.8 billion, the industry expected less than half of that this year due to the new restrictions and a general hesitancy to book holidays.
"For so many businesses that got nothing over the Christmas/summer holidays and were pinning their hopes on survival around this period and the holidays after it, this will be a mega blow," she said.
"And it will take many months for confidence to return. That, at a time when the industry is now facing no safety net at all with the loss of JobKeeper."
Timing of cheap flights 'awkward', operators say
The survey also asked people whether they would be more likely to take a break because of the federal government's discount airfares scheme, which starts today, with 40 per cent of respondents saying they would be.
Ms Osmond said while the program would encourage people to travel, the timing was "awkward" given the situation in Queensland.
"So, I think it's going to take considerable effort from governments at all levels to increase that level of certainty for people that they can travel without being concerned about being locked up in quarantine on the wrong side of a border or having to organise refunds and not getting a holiday," she said.
Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said airlines would offer "flexibility" in the case of future lockdowns.
"They understand also that things like what's happening in Brisbane at the moment can occur. But part of this is giving people the confidence to travel again," Mr Tehan said on Wednesday.
"We want people not only to have the confidence to travel, but when they do travel, make sure you put your hand in your pocket, dig deep and spend deep, because that's the best way you can support our tourism industry."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA0LTAxL2ZlYXJzLWZvci1lYXN0ZXItdG91cmlzbS1uZXctcmVzdHJpY3Rpb25zLWRldGVyLWF1c3RyYWxpYW5zLzEwMDA0MjY0NNIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDAwNDI2NDQ?oc=5
2021-03-31 13:02:38Z
CAIiEEdMQ2_USo-myytRhnPIUBYqFggEKg4IACoGCAow3vI9MPeaCDDciw4
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Fears for Easter tourism as new restrictions and uncertainty deter Australians from travelling - ABC News"
Post a Comment