Strong dollar no dazzler for Aussie inbound tourism
Sentiment among Australian tourism operators has fallen for the second straight quarter.
Concerns about the strong dollar dominate comments collected through the latest Tourism Taskforce(TTF)-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey.
More than 70 percent of respondents said the high dollar was having a negative impact on their business
Only one in 10 reported that the currency’s strength was not having negative repercussions.
TTF national policy director, Evan Hall, said, “After a strong upsurge from mid-2009 to mid 2010, there’s been a significant fall in sentiment among tourism operators for the second half of the year.
“The strong dollar is reducing the buying power of international visitors and there is continuing growth in the number of Australians travelling overseas, which is taking business away from the domestic market.â€
The survey showed that expectations are now below average for this time of year, with sharp falls for both domestic and international tourism, while there were also declines in confidence across all key indicators in the third quarter.
Hall said businesses are calling for more support from government, including investment in key tourism infrastructure.
“Governments must continue to upgrade convention, exhibition and entertainment facilities particularly in Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
“Planning laws must be overhauled to make it easier for the private sector to invest in new hotels and leisure properties.
“Finally, the federal government should examine the Passenger Movement Charge and visa fees to see if they are justified, taking into account the strength of the Australian dollar.â€
Ian Jarrett
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