Call for tourism bailout

A $200 million fund to rescue regional tourism from the COVID-19 fallout should be established immediately, the State Opposition says.

Nationals Leader Peter Walsh will today demand the State Government end “selfpromotional” advertising that he says cost $100 million last year and redirect funds to support regional tourism.

“Tens of thousands of regional Victorians who rely on their jobs in the tourism sector to pay the bills and put food on the table are counting on the Government to get them back to work and back in business,” Mr Walsh said.

“Our country communities and small businesses have been hit hard by drought, bushfires and now the coronavirus pandemic.”

He said the fund should be used to encourage tourism operators back to business, promote Victorian tourist destinations and upgrade tourism related infrastructure.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said action was needed to restore confidence and jobs in regional communities.

“I am proposing a $200 million regional tourism fund to encourage visitors to come to country Victorian communities and help businesses get back on their feet,” Mr O’Brien said.

The Opposition said the community and tourism businesses should have input into how fund money was spent.

According to Tourism Research Australia, Geelong and The Bellarine is the state’s fifth most visited region, accounting for a $584 million spend and more than 1.7 million visits by Australians in the year to September, 2019.

In the same period, the region drew 67,000 international visitors, who stayed 1.4 million nights and spent $97 million, according to the group.

The Great Ocean Road region attracted 2.7 million Australian visitors and 244,000 internationals in the same period, resulting in a $1.13 billion spend.

The Opposition said the fund’s aim should be to return the tourism sector to June, 2019, levels by June next year.

It said that without the package, the state’s regional sector, which employs about 86,000 people, would not recover.

The Government should complete the Grampians Peaks Trail and re-open the Mt Buffalo chalet, it said.

Upgrades to facilities to get people back to northeast Victoria and Gippsland should also be made.