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Tourism
Up until the current COVID Crisis, Tourism had enormous potential for future growth. This growth can come again provided that the policy settings are favourable to support growth in a highly competitive international market.
To help restart tourism following the 2020 global pandemic, Australian Chamber-Tourism has set up a Tourism Restart Taskforce to operate until the end of 2020.
Investment from government would enhance the opportunity of the visitor economy so that Australia can enjoy the jobs, growth and export income that the sector can generate.
Our policy principles for tourism:
- Make it easier for tourism businesses to hire staff, and develop the skills the industry needs.
- Improve access to workers in regional areas, including through a responsive migration program.
- Develop and improve tourism infrastructure.
- Create an Industry Growth Centre for the visitor economy within existing resources.
- Accelerate visa reform, including rapid rollout of streamlined and online visa processes.
- Reform the Tourist Refund Scheme.
- Lower visa fees.
- Restore Tourism Australia’s funding in real terms.
- Reduce red tape for tourism businesses.
Tourism Restart Taskforce
A Tourism Restart Taskforce has been established by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the auspices of the Australian Chamber – Tourism. Tourism has hit harder than any other industry by the current COVID crisis, and with the health concerns having been largely managed, a plan for how best to restart tourism is needed. The Taskforce will feed into the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission and the Austrade Tourism Incident Response Coordination group. Through ACCI it will feed into the Business Liaison Group in Treasury and the Department of Industry recovery group.
You can contact the taskforce via the secretariat: [email protected].
Members of the Tourism Restart Taskforce
Dr. Jeremy Johnson AM (Taskforce Chair) (ACCI Board, former CEO of Sovereign Hill)
The Hon. Bruce Baird AM (Business Events Sydney, TTF)
Sarina Bratton AM (Ponant)
Geoff Donaghy (BECA, ASM Global, ICC Sydney)
Bob East (Tourism Australia)
The Hon. Martin Ferguson AM (Tourist Accommodation Australia)
Nikki Govan (Star of Greece)
Denis Pierce (Australian Tourism Export Council)
Graham (Skroo) Turner (Flight Centre)
Jacqui Walshe (The Walshe Group)
John Hart (Australian Chamber – Tourism)
Secretariat
Jenny Lambert , Director – Tourism at ACCI
Sophie Lebang, Policy Officer
Tourism Restart Taskforce Meeting Notes
Below are the weekly Tourism Restart Taskforce meeting notes available for download.
Tourism Restart Plan
The Taskforce has now released its Tourism Restart Plan. This plan provides a runway back to operations for the industries that comprise Australia’s largest services export
and the creator of one in 13 jobs in the Australian economy.
Restarting COVIDSafe for Tourism
The Tourism COVID Safe Guiding Principles, signed off by the Tourism Restart Taskforce in May 2020, set out a framework for protocols that are suitable for businesses across tourism. They have also been used to craft proposals to government and health authorities to demonstrate how industry can successfully and safely restart.
Click here to view the Recommendations for change to Business Exhibitions, Meetings and Events Restrictions
Click here to view the Proposal for change to Dining Restrictions
Click here to view the Recommendations for change to Bus and Coach Transport Restrictions
Industry Proposed Restart Timetable
*Version 2.0 updated October 2020
To help guide advocacy for a more certain timetable for tourism restart, and with input from the ACCI Tourism Policy Committee, the Tourism Restart Taskforce has proposed a timetable for tourism restart. The updated Timetable 2.0 reflects what industry feels are realistic restart targets for governments and health authorities to consider given the status of the COVID-19 pandemic as at October 2020. An explanatory guide to the Timetable can be found here.