Tuesday, July 21, 2020
The Australian Federal Government’s extension of JobKeeper supplies a prolonged needed certainty extends the support for thousands of Australians in tourism as the travel and tourism industry continues to battle through this deadly coronavirus pandemic the Tourism & Transport Forum said.
TTF Chief Executive Margy Osmond said that the travel and tourism industry had been strongly advocating for an extension to the JobKeeper programme though to at least March of next year to enable the sector to survive and provide more time to recover.
Margy Osmond said that as the significant economic and health challenges brought about by COVID-19 remain front and centre over the immediate period ahead, the Government has heard the voice of the tourism industry loud and clear about the critical need to continue JobKeeper in place as an economic lifeline. From accommodation providers, airlines, airports and cruising through to tourism operators, major and business events, performing arts centres and restaurants and cafes, today’s announcement gives the industry critical breathing space.
JobKeeper 2.0 will help to save thousands more tourism employees from the unemployment queue and keep them in jobs so that when they eventually come out the other side of COVID-19, the government will be ready to move swiftly into the recovery phase. The research conducted by Stafford Strategy for TTF reveals that the extension of JobKeeper until March 2021 will help to stem the flow of tourism jobs lost as a result of the ongoing restrictions on travel in place because of the pandemic.
TTF CEO Margy Osmond said the industry has been losing almost $10 billion per month since COVID-19 enforced lockdowns came into place and all this coming off the back of a catastrophic bushfire season that decimated tourism reliant destinations across the country.
Margy Osmond continued said that while some of their State and Territory borders continue to remain shut and with planned openings postponed forcing many people to delay making plans to travel, any eventual uptick in domestic tourism will not be sufficient to fill the $4 billion black hole left by the lack of international inbound travel. While we understand the JobKeeper scheme cannot go on indefinitely, tourism-related businesses have borne the brunt of government-ordered business closures and border closures.
The seasonal nature of our sector means operators need more time to rebuild their businesses. Many would have had no opportunity if JobKeeper wasn’t extended until March 2021.
To survive the perfect storm of 2020 the industry is grateful for this ongoing support and TTF will continue to work closely with the Government in the lead-up to the October 6 Budget as well as beyond March 2021.
Tags: Australia, australia tourism
