Queensland tourism industry hit by travel bans and bushfires

Monday, February 3, 2020

The far north Queensland’s tourism industry is facing savage economic consequences due to the travel bans sparked by the coronavirus outbreak.

An unprecedented response is being demanded by the Queensland tourism boss to help the industry survive the savage effects of Australia’s bushfire crisis and coronavirus travel bans.

Arrivals from China has been shut down due to the virus outbreak, Cairns and Great Barrier Reef  operators had cost 25,000 direct bookings worth $10 million.

The international visitors in January went down to 60 to 70 per cent which was fuelled by the false perception that the entire country was on fire.

For February the same has been forecasted as there is no end in sight to Australia’s coronavirus. February is the time when Chinese visitors pump $25 million a month into the regional economy.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s 400 industry members recorded a tally of losses.

The actual losses are expected to be much higher given that’s only 10 per cent of the industry and just one region of tourism-dependent Queensland.

Mark Olsen, the tourism body’s CEO said that they have never been in the situation before so there are no comparatives and no solution.

As this is unprecedented it needed unprecedented action. To chart a survival and recovery plan the group has invited Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Tourism Minister Kate Jones for a meeting in Cairns on February 14 to bring in a  new survival and recovery plan.

Sparked by the bushfire crisis it is pushing on with a  campaign to get Queenslanders to holiday in the region which will dovetail into Tourism Australia’s ‘Holiday Here This Year’ campaign.

For the family-owned CaPTA group, Ben Woodward is the sales and marketing director having a large stable of tourism businesses in Cairns and Port Douglas.

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