22 July 2010

Give us the money, pleads tourism industry

A new industry survey has found declines in tourism activity and expectations in Australia.

According to the Transport and Tourism Forum (TTF)-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey, in the second quarter, international tourism nosedived 20 points, with expectations for the current quarter down 10 points.

Domestic tourism is rated as average, with expectations up slightly.

Christ Brown, managing director of lobby group TTF, said the industry is calling for greater government support for tourism.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIndustry is putting its money where its mouth is and backing Tourism AustraliaÃ¢â¬â¢s ThereÃ¢â¬â¢s Nothing Like Australia campaign,Ã¢â¬~ Brown said, Ã¢â¬Åâœbut the agencyÃ¢â¬â¢s funding has declined in real terms in recent years.Ã¢â¬~

Brown said the government has reinvigorated Tourism Australia with new leadership and Ã¢â¬Åâœnow itÃ¢â¬â¢s essential that the new leadership is backed by an appropriate level of financial supportÃ¢â¬~.

He said there was little point in getting industry heavyweights on board Ã¢â¬Åâœif they are then expected to do the job with one hand tied behind their backsÃ¢â¬~.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœTTF is calling for both the government and opposition to commit to increasing Tourism AustraliaÃ¢â¬â¢s funding to at least $140 million to maximise the impact of the new campaign and to give industry partners the certainty they need to plan future marketing and promotional activities.Ã¢â¬~

Brown said the results of the latest TTF-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey show that uncertainty is returning.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe downturns in both performance indicators and expectations show that the industry is concerned about economic volatility, both at home and abroad,Ã¢â¬~ Brown said.