Tourism sector will require major post-virus shake-up

ONE thing that needs to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is some clarity on tourism data such as visitors, expenditure, length of stay and where exactly our tourists come from.

Our tourism numbers need to be interrogated nationally, by state and by destination and with a far higher degree of analysis placed on economic outcomes from tourism and events.

We should also look at the cost of attracting visitors versus the return, and ensure that the industry is operating under a best practice model. Some regional tourism organisations spend more than three times as much as others to attract a single visitor in a similar market.

I have seen so many numbers used as levers to achieve media attention for this segment or that destination, or we don’t really focus on that segment as this segment is our saviour, that it’s all a convenient blur.

Have we all lost sight of the real issue, a tourism and hospitality industry in crisis with hundreds of businesses that may never open again – and what’s the long-term plan for survival?

Every industry in Australia is looking at their business model and we need to look into the way our tourism sector operates, its funding model, duplication and how we promote tourism locally, nationally and globally.

If our tourism sector does not change, they can’t expect governments and local councils to continue to tip in millions of dollars every time we face a situation out of our control.

RICHARD HOLLIDAY, SURFERS PARADISE