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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a $60 million tourism package in a bid to fast-track the return of international visitors to regional destinations heavily impacted by a loss of tourists.
The investment includes $45 million for Tourism Australia to promote areas such as the Gold Coast, NSW north coast, Sunshine Coast, Great Ocean Road, the Whitsundays and the Hunter.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland will also receive a $15 million injection in order to attract visitors to the Great Barrier Reef.
The move comes a month after Australia reopened its borders to double-vaccinated international travellers.
“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 Prime Minister said.
“I have been listening to tourism industry operators about what they will need to rebuild their international tourist businesses and this funding boost will deliver on these needs.
“The package is about getting people on planes and getting them here. It’s about converting the strong interest in Australia to actual businesses.”
The $45 million allocated to Tourism Australia will be distributed as follows:
- $15 million for advertising in crucial international markets to support regions most reliant on international tourists;
- $25 million for direct partnership activities for Tourism Australia to work with trade wholesalers, the airlines and the media to drive international demand back to key regions; and
- $5 million to extend Business Events Australia’s highly successful bid fund – which has already helped win 57 events for Australia.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said since international borders fully reopened, Tourism Australia has been promoting the nation through a $40 million international marketing campaign.
“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.”
Since March 2020, the government has provided more than $20 billion in assistance to the tourism and hospitality sector through payments such as JobKeeper and the Cash Flow Boost.
The figure also includes funding from sectoral programs such as the Consumer Travel Support Program, Zoos and Aquariums, Business Events Grants, Recovery for Regional Tourism and Tourism Aviation Network Support.
Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism Michelle Landry said the Australian visitor economy is ready to welcome back more international travellers into the country.
“Tourism operators have shown great fortitude and resilience throughout the pandemic and this additional investment will go a long way to seeing regular international visitors be welcomed back into the North Queensland region,” Landry said.
“As confidence continues to grow, the government is ensuring Australia is front and centre when international tourists consider their next destination to travel to.”
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