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Subscriber only Tourism leaders have been left dumbstruck after the industry was largely overlooked in last night s Budget. A $1.2 billion aviation package unveiled months ago and an extension of support for struggling zoos and aquariums were the only major announcements for a tourism industry which had until the 11th hour been begging for a reincarnation of the JobKeeper program. Some workers in the aviation sector will receive income support as part of a package announced in March and tourism leaders wanted a similar scheme to be introduced industry-wide. The Budget papers predicted a mass exodus of Aussies heading overseas as soon as they are able would far outweigh the benefits of foreign visitors returning to our shores.
Not enough people in tourism sector to meet domestic demand11/05/2021|4min
Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond says the tourism sector is now in a position where so many people have left that it’s struggling to meet the domestic demand.
“Nobody is saying that the health priority shouldn’t be the number one priority,” she told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
“But even in the space of skills, we’re now in a position where so many people so many people have left the tourism sector – because they thought we weren’t going to be here – that we can’t get enough people to run and meet just the domestic demand at the moment.”
News by Matt Young and NewsWire 11th May 2021 5:13 AM A war of words is brewing between tourism industry groups and the federal government surrounding Australia s international border reopening as experts predict businesses are in big trouble . Frustrated by the lack of clear advice over the ever-changing timeline, the head of Australia s Tourism and Transport Forum appeared on TV on Monday calling for clarity after what the group described as the worst year in living memory for the tourism industry . It comes as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg signalled ahead of today s federal budget that international travel will remain closed, with the border shut down until at least next year.
Restrictions on foreign studentsâ work hours to ease
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Foreign students will be allowed to work more hours so tourism and hospitality businesses have enough staff amid expectations international travel will be off the agenda for another year.
Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said Australiaâs international border might not reopen fully until next year because of a surge of coronavirus cases in the subcontinent and south-east Asia.
The pandemic has starved tourism and hospitality businesses of the normally reliable supply of backpackers to fill jobs.Â
Attila Csaszar
âThe best guess would be in the middle to the second half of next year but as weâve seen throughout this pandemic, things can change,â he told Sky News on Friday.
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Australian tourism operators are hoping to coax Kiwi visitors off their aunty’s couch in Brisbane or Sydney and open their wallets to make the most of the trans-Tasman travel bubble that started on Monday.
With Australians and New Zealanders rushing to enjoy quarantine-free international travel for the first time in more than a year, the tourism industry is pushing to capitalise on the new visitors. Qantas operated 16 return flights on Monday.
There were family reunions in both Australia and New Zealand on Monday.
Justin McManus
New Zealand has always been one of Australia’s biggest tourism markets, but it is mostly driven by family reunions, with 600,000 Kiwis living in Australia. By contrast, just 75,000 Australians live in New Zealand.