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Tourism operators said the Morrison government should bring forward its mid-2022 border reopening deadline after it was revealed coronavirus vaccinations should be done by the end of this year.
While the industry acknowledged it needed to be “realistic” about when Australia will open its borders to the rest of the world, the $50 billion tourism and travel sector said it needed more certainty about when this could happen.
Australian Tourism Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway preferred a gradual reopening, along the lines of further travel bubbles, by the end of the year.
“We are realistic but retain our focus for arguing for a gradual reopening of Australia’s international border, with time frames, along with future consideration of important visitor cohorts with full vaccination status,” Mr Westaway said.
âNot a nightclub on the beachâ: Push for Qld âbeach barsâ to entice tourists
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Queenslandâs tourism industry suffered a $12 billion blow in 2020 as domestic and international border closures shut out millions of visitors.
But transforming the stateâs beaches into a European-style tourist mecca, like Santorini in Greece or Positano in Italy, has been suggested to entice travellers to return.
An aerial photograph of tourists playing and sunbathing on a sandy beach in Positano, Italy.
Credit:Traveller
A discussion paper from the stateâs Tourism and Industry Reference Panel can reveal 11.3 million fewer visitors travelled to and within Queensland in 2020, representing a loss of $12.3 billion in overnight visitor spending, which sunk to its lowest level in a decade.
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Gladstone’s crown jewel has added another bow to its quiver by taking out a top Queensland tourism award.
Agnes Water came out on top of its rivals and earned the Top Small Tourism Town Award (population under 5000).
Noosa took the win for the Top Tourism Town Award (population over 5000).
QTIC chief executive, Daniel Gschwind, said it was timely to shine a light on the diverse regional destinations Queensland had, especially during the events of COVID.
“With international travel restrictions, this is the ideal time to put the spotlight on domestic tourism and draw attention to the fantastic regional destinations our state boasts,” Mr Gschwind said.
Dog days are over as Noosa wins major tourism title sunshinecoastdaily.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunshinecoastdaily.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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There are also vacancies in the large region that stretches north from Mackay and the inland regions west of Toowoomba.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the campaign will give Australians the opportunity to get on-the-job training. Right across regional Queensland, there is strong demand for workers, she wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. From chefs, waiters and bartenders through to tour guides and deckhands on the Great Barrier Reef, there are plenty of great jobs up for grabs.