Struggling Queensland tourism sector loses $250million as 20 per cent of its bookings are forced to cancel after Sydney families are locked out by just 83 cases
- Queensland’s tourism industry takes another heavy hit from Covid pandemic
- Queensland reinstated NSW border checkpoints to keep Sydneysiders out
- Tourism operators to lose up to 20 per cent of bookings due to border closures
Queensland‘s tourism industry has copped another heavy blow after the state’s borders were slammed shut to Sydneysiders once again.
The industry faces a $250million hit as thousands of holidaymakers are forced to cancel bookings during the busiest time of the year for tourism operators.
Queensland has reinstated NSW border checkpoints, where Sydneysiders will be turned away amid a growing coronavirus outbreak on the city’s Northern Beaches, which currently stands as 83 cases.
The Gold Coast and north Queensland will be among the worst regions hit by the hard border closure, where tourism operators expect to lose up to 20 per cent of holiday bookings.
Queensland tourism operators have been inundated with cancelled bookings after the state’s border was slammed shut to Sydneysider. Pictured is a tourist on the Gold Coast
Interstate tourism is worth $10billion to the Queensland economy with one third of that coming from Sydney alone.
‘It’s obviously a devastating blow to be going backwards – worse than being in a bad situation in the first place,’ Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief Daniel Gschwind told the Courier Mail.
‘When we have a crisis like a cyclone, we can strategise and face it. But with this (COVID), we’re fighting an uncertain enemy and we don’t know where the next blow is coming from.
‘The tourism industry is famously resilient but the climate of fear and uncertainty is really taking its toll, both financially and emotionally.’
Border checkpoints returned to the Queensland-NSW border on Tuesday morning, just three weeks Queensland reopened to Sydneysiders. Pictured is the long traffic queue of motorists entering Queensland on Monday
Federal trade and tourism minister Simon Birmingham hopes the borders will reopen as soon as possible to ease the financial blow on tourism operators.
‘What we urge right now is for Sydneysiders to do as they’re doing and we’re very grateful for them in terms of responding to the health advice, doing what’s best,’ he told the Today Show on Tuesday.
‘Historically, one in 13 Australian jobs rely on our tourism and hospitality industry. So these sorts of disruptions come at huge cost in terms of many small businesses, many people whose livelihoods depend on this work,’ he said.
‘My message to people is if you’re in a position to do so, take a travel credit, make plans to rebook as soon as you can into the future. Understand there are Australian small businesses and Australian jobs doing it tough and we want to see support for those sectors for people continuing to travel as soon as it’s safe and possible to do so.’
The latest border closure comes just three weeks after the state’s borders reopened to Sydney.
Queensland’s tourism industry faces to lose $250million from the latest border closure. Pictured are holidays makers at Airlie Beach in Queensland’s Whitsundays region
Regional NSW residents are welcome to cross the border but anyone from Greater Sydney will be turned away.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the return of border closures after almost 200 Sydneysiders were caught trying to get into the state illegally.
Around 81 Sydneysiders have been told to turn back while another 112 have been ordered into hotel quarantine since Friday.
‘There will be a hard border closure that will be going in place,’ Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Monday.
‘People will start to seeing barricades going up again this afternoon and it will be back to the strong border measures that we have seen in Queensland that have kept Queenslanders safe.’
The border checkpoints will stay put until there has been no community transmission in NSW for 28 days.
While regional NSW residents can cross the Queensland borders, Sydneysiders will be turned away. Pictured is heavy traffic crossing the border at Coolangatta on Monday