International tourists will be enticed to return Down Under following two years of restrictions, border closures and strict quarantine control after the government announced investments in tourism in the federal budget.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce a $60 million tourism investment in the federal budget while visiting Cairns on Tuesday.
The package includes $45 million over two years for Tourism Australia to focus on regional destinations which have been impacted heavily by the loss of international tourists.
Tropical North Queensland, the Gold Coast, NSW north coast, Sunshine Coast, Great Ocean Road, the Whitsundays, and the Hunter will be the main destinations to benefit from the Tourism Australia marketing campaign.
An additional $15 million will go specifically to Tourism Tropical North Queensland in a bid to promote the Great Barrier Reef to visitors.
Mr Morrison says he wants to make sure Australia is at the top of every tourist’s must-visit list.
“The package is about getting people on planes and getting them here. It’s about converting the strong interest in Australia to actual businesses,” he said.
Tourism Minister Dan Tehan flagged the industry could see further support later this year.
“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,” he said.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of $15 million funding for the destination marketing organisation to reignite the region’s $1 billion international visitor economy.
TTNQ Chief Executive Officer Chair Ken Chapman said he was incredibly thankful to the Prime Minister for throwing his personal support and understanding behind the need to rebuild international tourism.
“Mr Morrison understands the unique impact of border closures for this region. He listened to TTNQ’s recovery proposals, understood the issues, and had the confidence to back us to get the job done with this support,” Mr Chapman said.
TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen said this latest support lifeline shows just how much they understand the needs of the industry and how important it is to Australian tourism to invest in the future of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef as an international destination.
“Tropical North Queensland is the nation’s most tourism dependant region and this funding will ensure our tourism industry continues to deliver not just as a regional economy, but as a world-class Australian destination,” he said.
For more information, visit www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au.
Source: AAP.