Tourism Report

Tourism businesses fighting for more support from pollies

Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) CEO Michael Johnson and Chairman Martin Ferguson addressed the Federal Senate Committee, August 20, 2020. Due to the dire state of the industry in the shadow of COVID-19 and with no end in sight to travel restrictions, they demanded more clarity from the government on strategic plans and guidelines for businesses to decide now whether they can carry on for the long haul.

First, Michael gave the committee a quick overview of what the pandemic has done to the sector over the last six months and where it stands today – utterly decimated.

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He said: “We now find the majority of hotels in CBDs right around the country operating 50 to 60 percent down on same time last year with Sydney and Melbourne hardest hit, with room revenues down in excess of 75 percent.

“The federal government’s support, in particular, JobKeeper has been our saving grace. It has effectively been able to keep our businesses afloat and our staff engaged while revenues have disappeared.”

He thanked the government for the decision to extend Job Keeper. But continued: “With state border closures extended… no sign of international borders re-opening… and even our New Zealand bubble no longer an option… our industry will need ongoing support if we are to survive.

“2020 is a write off and the first half of 2021 is not looking much brighter. In fact, forecasters say it will take up to four years for our industry to return to anything like pre-COVID-19 occupancies and profitability.

Without a vaccine the industry needs help.

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He said: “We need federal and state governments to be more in sync when it comes to border closures and openings… the industry needs to promote itself domestically and to the world and we cannot do that until the uncertainty ends.

“We also need to understand whether we have the appetite or capabilities to operate in a COVID-19 world. “Are we as a country looking for eradication or suppression? If it is suppression then we need to have strategic plans and set guidelines across states to allow businesses to operate.

“There is a need to implement more strategy on stimulating revenue for the industry.”

TAA, in conjunction with AHA, have submitted a proposal to government for the exemption of FBT for three years for SMEs – this would stimulate both accommodation and food and beverage sales across the industry.

He explained: “We are also working closely with Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and with Martin representing us on the Tourism Restart Taskforce which has been reporting directly into the NCCC – now the NCC.

Hard border may not eliminate virus but will eliminate Queensland jobs, says sector

Now that Queensland’s premier has confirmed borders will remain closed until there are no cases of community transmission in New South Wales and Victoria, it may be Christmas before they open. Industry leaders and operators from across the sector have spoken out.

The closures, although necessary for public health, are a continuing blow to Queensland’s faltering accom industry and are sure to cause further job losses.

Talking about the border closure earlier in August Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson said while health obviously had to come first, the closure was another blow to the struggling hospitality and accommodation sector in both states, especially in the regions.

Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said of the closures: “The accommodation sector agrees that health considerations must be at the forefront of decision making however this decision comes with absolutely no warning and will now mean an acceleration of job losses in Queensland’s tourism sector.”

South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory when there have been just 21 cases in total over the past month, less than one case a day, is extremely disappointing.”

He asked that the government get the “balance right between protecting lives and protecting jobs and we should have a more collaborative and constructive approach.”

Trevor Rawnsley, Australian Resident Managers Association (ARAMA) CEO told us he could not agree more.

He said: “We wholeheartedly support [Dean Long’s] comments and we concur. The Queensland Government is hellbent on eliminating the virus and in attempting to eliminate the virus they are eliminating jobs. We are totally opposed to any hard border closure between NSW and QLD. We understand the concern all Australians have about what is happening in Victoria at the moment and our heart goes out to businesspeople and the general community in Victoria. The hard border closure between NSW and QLD is the most damaging thing that they can do to negatively impact the tourism industry and business in general.”

ARAMA wants open but shored up borders.

Trevor, talking about recent cases of people dodging QLD border controls said: “Instead of putting people who fraudulently make statements on their border pass in a five-star hotel, quarantine them in prison in the remand cell until their day in court to send a clear and strong message to other Australians who are travelling across the border that there are consequences for their actions.

“The entire population of QLD should not be punished for the poor choices of a few people.”

In a message to the government, Trevor said: “Give the people of Queensland some hope by opening borders and let us get on and generate income from our efforts so we don’t have to rely on government handouts! At the end of the day, we’re talking about Queensland families at the brink of a mental depression as well as an economic depression because they’re not able to do what they know and are trained to do and want to do.”

Rainbow Beach courtesy of Visit Sunshine Coast

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told 7News that the health of Queenslanders must come first as the southern states grapple with new coronavirus cases. “I think we’re going to continue to see restrictions in Victoria up until Christmas time. That’s very unfortunate for people living there but it’s a serious situation,” she said.

Stars aligned for Sunshine Coast as Hemsworths and Adam Scott drive surge in booking searches for Maleny & Rainbow Beach

The worldwide attention that accompanied Chris and Liam Hemsworth’s visit to Rainbow Beach, and Adam Scott’s live broadcast of a round of golf at the picturesque Maleny Golf Club, has seen online searches for the two Sunshine Coast destinations surge into Booking.com’s fastestgrowing Top 10 in Australia.

The Booking.com survey revealed the top ten searched destinations in Australia with a search-rank increase of over 100 places in July 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. The presence of the worldfamous acting and sporting greats further propelled the destinations’ status as rising stars, with Maleny teeing off to number two and Rainbow Beach beaming at number nine in the fastest-growing Top 10.

Maleny – in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland – hit the headlines when world-champion golfer and Sunshine Coast resident, Adam Scott, used some of his isolation time to play a few games of golf at Maleny Golf Club, including one that he streamed live to his global social media audience. The unheralded club has never been busier.

Rainbow Beach saw the arrival of the Hemsworth brothers and respective families in July, and while they enjoyed a very relaxed and low-key stay, their social media posts against the stunning beach backdrop sent the Booking.com search engine into frenzy. Rob Gough – aka the Ice Man of Rainbow Beach – became an overnight celebrity for serving Thor his favourite salted caramel ice cream.

“The fact that the Sunshine Coast has been able to create so much interest for two such diverse destinations highlights what makes the Sunshine Coast such a special destination,” said interim CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast, Craig Davidson.

“While we have some of Australia’s most exceptional beaches, we also have a lush Hinterland, with its spaciousness and stunning natural attractions.

“The reason why both celebrities and other travellers love the region so much is that it is so relaxed. Even the biggest stars let nature take centre-stage.”

Commenting on the survey, Luke Wilson, Area Manager for Australia at Booking.com, concluded: “It is heartening to see travellers heading back to iconic coastal QLD and WA destinations for their winter holiday sun fix.

“Our July search trends demonstrate confidence is slowly returning. Queenslanders, conscious of not being complacent of restrictions returning are also looking to travel to traditional coastal destinations mostly within one to two hours’ north drive of Brisbane. This correlates directly with our previous May and June wish list data which highlighted QLD was on the top of Australian travellers’ minds for the school holiday period.”