LNP Candidate for Leichhardt Warren Entsch brought tourism into the election arena at his first major press conference last week.  

According to Mr Entsch, North Queensland’s tourism sector has been a victim of the global financial crisis and the neglect of the industry by the Rudd/Gillard Government.

Between March 2008 and March 2010, $133 million of tourism export income has been ripped out of the Cairns economy, seriously impacting local jobs and local families.

Mr Entsch was adamant that The Rudd/Gillard Government’s response has just been to slap an extra $1 billion of tourism taxes on the industry and reduce funding for international tourism marketing by $13.5 million which has had a devastating effect on tourism in North Queensland.

He says a Coalition government would commit $28 million in new money for Australian business events tourism to help reinvigorate local tourism.  Mr Entsch advised his audience that The Coalition understands that tourism is a vital part of the Australian and North Queensland economy.

Tourism employs nearly 500,000 people, accounting for $92 billion in economic activity and generating $24 billion in export earnings.  More than 12,000 locals in Cairns derive their livelihood directly from tourism, and many thousand more are indirectly reliant on tourism for their living.

He stressed that The Coalition recognised business events travellers are among the most lucrative and produce the highest yield of any travellers for tourism operators. The business events industry currently generates around $17.6 billion a year for the Australian economy and employs more than 116,000 people.

In Cairns up to 50 per cent of convention business is export income, making this landmark package even more critical to the local economy.  He said that The Coalition’s additional $28 million to boost business events tourism is designed to help bring the regions business events marketing capacity in line with our international competitors.

This proposed funding would include an additional $17.5 million for an industry partnership fund to provide the business events sector with significant money to support bids for key international conferences and boost delegates attending conferences.

He said that this addresses the need to both attract more international conferences to places such as Cairns, and also to grow the number of delegates attending conferences to maximise the return on investment.

If the Coalition should win the election, they will apparently also provide an additional $10.5 million for Tourism Australia to boost marketing of Business Events Australia, representing an increase to current funding of more than 50 per cent.
This will help address the funding cuts of more than 10 per cent cut to Business Events Australia by the Rudd/Gillard Government, on the eve of the global financial crisis.

This programme of significant investment would be delivered over four years.

Mr Entsch said he welcomes the Coalition’s commitment of this $28 million to attract business events tourism.  Mr Entsch said “This announcement is the start of something big for Cairns and something I am quite excited about,” he said.

“It just makes sense to attract more business events and conventions to Cairns to make the use of the facilities we have here.”  Warren Entsch said the announcement was the first piece of the tourism puzzle in place.  “The Coalition is committed to helping the thousands of local residents who rely directly and indirectly on the tourism industry for work".

Mr Entsch criticised the current Labor Government, “Under Labor more than $133 million in tourism income has been ripped out of the Cairns economy while Jim Turnour has just stood by and nodded his support".

“I have been fighting hard to get Cairns and Far North Queensland the boost we so desperately need to get the local economy back on track".  Mr Entsch asserted that “A Coalition government will reinvigorate local tourism and I look forward to putting together the rest of the puzzle together to secure this region’s future.”

Editors comments:  It good to see that tourism is now high on the election agenda, I don't think it is all about how much money is promised by each party, it's more about the supervision and creativity about how and where it's spent.  I hope each candidate will ensure these monetary carrots are not given over to be spent in the same old way.  Tourism funding has got to be measured not just thrown about! It will be interesting to hear Jim Turnours tourism strategy.