Battered and bruised
Tourism asks Premier to show way back
TOURISM Port Douglas and Daintree boss Tara Bennett believes a fatigued Douglas Shire community needs “some hope on the horizon” from the Queensland Government as the region struggles through a hard border closure.
Ms Bennett has requested a road map out of the current restrictions from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as part of her visit to the Far North this week.
She said businesses in the
Port Douglas region, although resilient, were starting to “feel the most pain” with Victorian and New South Wales tourists blocked from entering the state amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Palaszczuk personally acknowledged the extra pressure being applied to the seaside town on Wednesday.
“Right now it feels like we are operating in a vacuum with small market potential,” she said. “I’ve requested they provide us with an understanding of what we are waiting for in terms of getting some borders open because as a destinations we need to see demand so we can start to plan.
“It’s great for the premier to acknowledge the challenges we are facing and we need to use this platform to get support that will make a real difference to business, rather than Band -Aids.”
It comes after the announcement of relief funding for Port Douglas tour boats of up to $20,000 to help offset the cost of marina rent fees.
Ms Bennett said she welcomed the support but it might not be enough, adding the state’s tourism is currently a two-speed economy with enormous variation between regions and the levels of visitations being experienced.
“Traditionally we have been loud and proud about being first or the best, but on this occasion it’s so painful to be recognised as a region in the most pain,” she said. “But that is our truth at the moment.
“This week’s meetings with the Queensland Premier and Ministers in Cairns were sobering as the industry shared the intense suffering the region is experiencing, and the challenge is demonstrating how different our numbers are to other parts of Queensland.”