Major hotel groups have added their signatures to those of the Accommodation Association and Tourism Accommodation Australia on a petition to the Morrison Government to redirect $270 million in COVID support to save jobs in the devastated Sydney and Melbourne markets. The united plea is for money to be diverted from the government’s $1.2 billion support package to support 18,000 workers in the key international hubs of Sydney and Melbourne.
The letter, calling for urgent action to ensure skilled staff are retained now that JobKeeper has ended, has been signed by Marriott International, Accor, InterContinental Hotels Group, Wyndham Vacation Clubs, BWH Hotel Group, TFE Hotels, Hilton, The Star Entertainment Group, Tall Timbers Tasmania, Ovolo Hotels Australia, Lancemore Group, Ascott/Quest Apartment Hotels, Crystalbrook Collection Hotels & Resorts, EVENT Hospitality & Entertainment Ltd, Crown Sydney and Crown Hotels, Classic Holidays, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Jackalope Hotels, Choice Hotels Asia-Pacfic, Tourism Accommodation Australia and Accommodation Australia.
Forward booking rates across Sydney and Melbourne properties are as low as 10 per cent for the three months to June. Sydney is currently the worst-performing market, with revenue falls of 67 per cent. Given international travel is still a considerable way off, and the corporate travel market still marginal, this is not likely to improve any time soon.
“Australia’s main international gateway cities Sydney and Melbourne are struggling and they were ignored in the Federal Government’s $1.2b tourism package,” said Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson.
“Accommodation occupancy rates in Sydney and Melbourne are below the 35% mark – that means without Jobkeeper only 35% of our workforce is employed – and without corporate travel, conference and events and international tourism that figure will not improve.”
IMAGE: Hyatt Regency Sydney
