Tourism operators stare into the abyss
AS many as 10,000 Queensland tourism businesses could go broke before the coronavirus pandemic is over, despite the Federal Government’s pledge to extend JobKeeper until next year.
While the decision to extend JobKeeper payments was welcomed by operators on Tuesday, there are fears up to a quarter of Queensland tourism operations may not survive the pandemic, which has robbed them of $7 billion generated by international visitors.
The situation is particularly dire in the far north, where some operators rely on international guests to generate up to 80 per cent of revenue.
With no indication when international borders could reopen, some operators are facing months of uncertainty, even with the extension of support payments for workers stood down during the lull.
Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said more needed to be done to ensure the long-term survival of the tourism industry with State Government modelling showing up to a quarter of businesses could go broke.
“Thousands of businesses right throughout our state could go bust,” she said. “This industry will be vital to rebuilding Queensland’s economy and creating jobs in the future. We can’t afford to lose these businesses and lose these jobs.”
Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said the extension of JobKeeper was a good start but there would need to be more measures to help ensure the survival of businesses.
Tony Baker, managing director of the Quicksilver Group marine tourism operator, said he was happy the JobKeeper program had been extended but there would be tough times ahead.