Dire warning on tourism
QUEENSLAND tourism operators are bracing for a catastrophic $6 billion loss, with Australia’s top doctor admitting our international borders could remain closed for up to a year.
Chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy told a Senate inquiry yesterday there was ‘‘no clear roadmap’’ out of the international lockdown, saying he believed the true number of coronavirus cases worldwide was closer to 20 million.
“I cannot see border measures (being lifted), they will be one of the last things to go,” Prof Murphy said.
“There is no clear roadmap out of this. I have no vision at the moment on the current international scene where international border measures of some very strong vigour won’t be necessary.”
The revelation is a devastating blow for the Queensland tourism industry, which last year welcomed almost 3 million overseas visitors who splashed $6.1 billion in the state.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the industry was now drawing up battle plans to target domestic tourists in a bid to fill the void left by overseas visitors.
“You have to realise that two-thirds of (Queensland) tourism is domestic and for many destinations it’s all domestic,” he said.
“We’re certainly not giving up but the more high-profile destinations like the Gold Coast and Far North Queensland will absolutely suffer from the loss of international markets.”