MISSED CHANCE TO BOOST TOURISM
TUESDAY’S federal budget was a missed opportunity to further stimulate visitation to Australian destinations, Tasmania’s peak tourism industry body says.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said he would have liked to see more ongoing support post-June for tourism which was among the sectors worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A national half-price airfares program featuring several Tasmanian destinations finishes in June, while a Spirit of Tasmania passenger vehicle rebate wraps up then too, but has already been fully exhausted.
The budget did not include an extension of those programs or the introduction of similar, short to medium-term initiatives to encourage domestic tourism.
Mr Martin said that scheme has been a great success and he would like to have seen it extended beyond June, and he hoped authorities would rethink the end date. He said it was disappointing both schemes were finishing at the same time.
“It’s obviously a bit of a worry for us,’’ he said. “But I do look at things like tax credits where more discretionary spending in the pockets of Australians will hopefully encourage them to travel.”
Hadley’s Orient Hotel chief executive Ben Targett said tourism in Tasmania had a strong future and appealed to those who may have previously considered a career in hospitality and tourism to again think about it as an option.
He said there had been strong visitation in recent months, fuelled by the half-price airfares and more people travelling domestically.
“There are a lot of opportunities in hospitality, to travel the world and create a career,” he said.
Mr Targett welcomed the extension of the Job Trainer program in the federal budget, which he said may help the industry to create a bigger pool of future workers.