Queensland tour operators lose sleep as industry loses millions a day
Queensland tourism operators are losing sleep as they brace for the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme and months of lacklustre domestic travel, the state’s acting Premier says.
The Sunshine State’s tourism industry has been bleeding tens of millions of dollars every day, with state and international borders locked down for most of the past 12 months.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said it was up to the federal government to stump up cash to help businesses keep staff on past the planned end of JobKeeper in March.
“Many of them are suffering from sleepless nights right now, worrying about how they are going to sustain their businesses, how they are going to keep their workers in the face of the end of JobKeeper,” he said.
Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said Queensland’s COVID-stricken tourism industry was also desperate for Sydney’s tourism dollar.
“Yesterday was a very important day for our industry, we opened our market to all of Sydney again, it is a billion-dollar market for Queensland,” he said.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind.Credit:Matt Dennien
“Destinations like the Gold Coast and Cairns, and everything in between, benefit from having more domestic visitors, this is particularly important when the international borders remain shut.
“Some of them [operators] will struggle over the next 12 months to stay afloat with the international borders closed probably for the rest of the year.”
Mr Gschwind said snap lockdowns were devastating for the industry and shook consumer confidence.
“It will take some time to rebuild consumer confidence when we see what has happened in WA over the weekend.
“The more we can limit those closures to targeted hotspots and avoid wholesale border closures, the more we are able to rebuild.”
It follows warnings from experts that Queensland should not count on hordes of tourists from southern states rushing north now the border with NSW has reopened, with pandemic uncertainty still causing concern for travellers.
Queensland recorded zero new local cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Sharing an update on social media, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said one person tested positive in hotel quarantine after catching the virus overseas.
Seven cases remain active in Queensland and 5785 cases remain active.
Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe was also leaning on the federal government to cough up cash for the state’s tourism businesses.
The Queensland government has called for a targeted version of JobKeeper to continue past March to support tourism businesses, some of which are operating at 5 per cent capacity.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said the federal government could not run “a blank cheque budget”.
“”You can’t run the Australian economy on taxpayers’ money forever,” he said.
But Mr Hinchliffe said some businesses would not be able to survive with international borders closed, and the scheme should not end in March.
“Tourism businesses are doing it tough because they rely on overseas tourists who right now can’t get into the country,” he said.
“Tourism operators don’t want to sack staff and they’re not asking for a blank cheque, just a hand up until international visitors can come back.
“The federal government can save jobs in regional Queensland and anxiety for tourism operators by revealing how their plans for targeted assistance might work and who would be eligible.”
- with David Crowe and Stuart Layt
Lydia Lynch is Queensland political reporter for the Brisbane Times