Border billions at stake

JEREMY PIERCE, JACK MCKAY AND JANELLE MILES

QUEENSLAND’S border ban could stop four million Aussies visiting some of the Sunshine State’s biggest tourist destinations, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast set to bear the brunt of the devastating hit.

As political leaders yesterday discussed the absurd scenario southerners could be allowed to travel to NZ before permitted to cross our state border, Tourism Research Australia data revealed more than $10 billion was spent by Queenslanders travelling within their own state last year. It was almost matched by the value of interstate visitors who generated more than eight million overnight trips to the Sunshine State.

If the State’s border lockdown remains until September, it could cost Queensland tourism more than $5 billion at a time the $6 billion overseas market has been wiped out.

According to TRA statistics, NSW travellers last year accounted for two million trips to Brisbane, 1.2 million visits to the Gold Coast and 568,000 visits to the Sunshine Coast.

Victorians made 878,000 trips to Brisbane, 638,000 to the Gold Coast and 493,000 to Far North Queensland.

NSW and Victoria are Queensland’s two biggest interstate markets, contributing a combined $7.6 billion and 6.8 million visitors in 2019.

Keeping the borders closed until September would slash tourism revenue from Easter and the June-July school holidays, a period traditionally favoured by southerners looking to escape dreary winters.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said the lost opportunity was hitting operators at the time of year they usually stood to gain the most from interstate travel.

“The winter holiday period is so important to Queensland tourism, particularly to regional destinations,” he said.

He said the industry was clinging on to the hope decision makers may yet relent and open the borders in time for looming school holidays.

“That is the only thing keeping some of our operators hanging on mentally as well as financially,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk has previously indicated the state would be able to open its borders sooner if NSW and Victoria got their community transmissions “under control”.

There have been 864 locally acquired cases of coronavirus in NSW and 567 in Victoria. Queensland has 176.

Queensland has recorded 16 new cases since May 11, an increase of 3.13 cases per million Queenslanders.

It compares to NSW, where cases have grown 31 to 3090, an increase of 3.87 infections per million people. Queensland has had fewer cases where the source is unknown with 41, compared to 370 mystery infections in NSW and 180 in Victoria.