TTF Media Release
29 July 2020
QUEENSLAND CLOSURE TO SYDNEYSIDERS A MAJOR TOURISM SETBACK
Queensland’s decision to turn away visitors from Greater Sydney and quarantine returning Queenslanders after Saturday is a major setback for the Queensland tourism industry and for renewed domestic traveller confidence the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) said today.
TTF CEO Margy Osmond said that the industry has always supported the position that health and the containment of COVID-19 is the number one priority but that it didn’t make this new development any easier for one of our most impacted sectors.
“As States and Territories continue to grapple with how to contain and supress COVID-19 it seems very much like one step forward two steps back for our industry at the moment,” Margy Osmond said.
“This decision by the Queensland Government coming at the halfway point of Melbourne’s six-week lockdown has effectively halted the rebooting of domestic tourism and thrown the visitor economy recovery up in the air.
“However, we do remain determinedly optimistic that we will get through this latest hurdle and that we will be able to reopen Australian interstate tourism as soon as COVID restrictions allow. We are, if anything, a resilient sector.
“In the meantime, we are encouraging continued COVIDSafe intrastate tourism where possible. Our snowfields are currently blanketed with snow, our beaches are clean and refreshing on a bright sunny day and many parts of regional and remote Australia are open for business for those able to travel.”
According to analysis conducted by DSpark for TTF, capital city residents largely travelled to destinations within driving distance from home during the recent July school holidays
The analysis used telco, public transport, road network and ABS Census data to monitor movements of residents of our capital cities in real time for the period Saturday, July 4 through to Saturday, July 18 who travelled more than 50 kilometres from their place of residence.
“The top destinations in all states are within driving range from people’s homes but unsurprisingly are still popular tourism areas frequented by those from capital cities. People do perceive travelling in their own car as the safest place to be right now with ongoing outbreaks and continued State border uncertainty,” Margy Osmond continued.
“Our ongoing industry message to governments is three-fold, please work together to supress this virus so we can open borders, get people travelling safely and responsibly, and help to save existing tourism jobs.”
Ends.
Contact: TTF Manager Policy and Government Relations Lindsay Hermes 0418 948 447 lhermes@ttf.org.au