Survey exposes fears of tourism industry
The latest edition of the TTF-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey reveals that factors affecting the competitiveness of Australia’s tourism industry are causing increasing concern among operators.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee said the survey highlights key concerns over the hike in the passenger movement charge rising from AUD47 to AUD55 from July 1.
"Around 60 per cent of respondents believe the increase will negatively impact on visitation from New Zealand, with almost half also anticipating a negative impact on arrivals from China and Japan."
Lee said there is also rising concern over access to bank financing, which impacts operators’ ability to invest in new and refreshed product.
"Concerns about inadequate room supply are also on the rise, along with the shortage of unskilled labour.
"In addition, the proportion of respondents who indicated they could employ more staff fell, with other key indicators, including forward bookings and sales, also declining."
Lee said the reduced competitiveness of Australia as a tourism destination was "of particular concern to leisure-dependent regional destinations which are trying to compete with low-cost Asia-Pacific rivals".
Footnote: New figures show that international arrivals to Australia in July fell 1.1% from July last year, with significant falls from short-haul markets.
Arrivals from New Zealand – Australia’s number one source market – fell 4.5% for the month.
Arrivals from Thailand fell 19.5%, Korea dropped 12.9% and Malaysia was down 3.3%.
Ian Jarrett
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