ATEC managing director, Peter Shelley, says Australia’s export tourism industry urgently needs a date to work towards
for the reopening of our international border, after 18 months of no revenue. ATEC is calling on the Federal Government to provide a date and a framework so tourism businesses can make plans to rebuild valuable distribution partnerships, and lock in bookings for 2022.
“Our industry has been waiting a long time for the opportunity to recover and we have a hard road ahead of us to reconnect with our international markets.
“We need to begin to regain our place as a ‘must visit’ destination and a date for the reopening of our international border is therefore both urgent and critical,” said Mr. Shelley.
“Since the announcement by the NSW Government last Friday, our members have been fielding inquiries from intending travellers looking to book an Australian holiday or visit their family but they still can’t make these bookings with any certainty.
“We simply can’t afford to continue to keep our borders closed to high spending international travellers and miss critical ‘booking windows’ as these people simply will choose to holiday in other competing destinations, putting Australia at the bottom of their bucket list.
“Right now we are heading into the northern hemisphere’s annual booking season when the US, Europe and the UK are facing a long winter and typically plan their travel to warmer climates like Australia. If we miss this booking window it will not surface again for another 12 months.”
