PM listens to tourism industry, gives money for pain points

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A new federal funding announcement aimed at attracting international visitors to Australia’s regions was made by the prime minister on Tuesday.

The $60 million investment was made to encourage more tourists to travel to some of the regions impacted most by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Morrison said in a statement.

“As the world reopens, and travellers get out and see the world again, we want to ensure that at the top of every must-see-list is Australia,” the PM said.

“The package is about getting people on planes and getting them here. It’s about converting the strong interest in Australia to actual businesses.”

Morrison said he had been listening to tourism sector representatives including operators about what they will need to rebuild their businesses and cater to the international market. Reviving the sector would support hundreds of jobs and strengthen the economy, he added. 

Tourism Australia, which the prime minister headed prior to his full-time political career, will get $45 million as part of a broader government package for targeted projects to bring international visitors to regional areas. 

Of that money, $25 million will fund direct partnership activities for Tourism Australia to spend on trade wholesalers, airlines and the media to encourage tourism demand in key regions, $15 million will be spent on advertising to ‘crucial’ tourism markets, and $5 million will go to a bid fund for Business Events Australia, which has already been instrumental in winning 57 event bids to take place in Australia.

The other $15 million will be given to Tourism Tropical North Queensland to promote holidaying at the Great Barrier Reef.

Trade minister Dan Tehan said the federal government was already working with Tourism Australia to develop a $40 million marketing campaign since international travel restrictions were lifted.

“This campaign is just the start of a long-term strategy to restart tourism to Australia, with further investment in tourism marketing campaigns internationally to come in the second half of the year,” Tehan said. 

 “Our government is working with the sector on a long-term strategy to grow the value of the visitor economy to $230 billion by 2030.”

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