Howard Salkow

Senior Journalist

The federal government is hoping a boost in domestic tourism will allow the economy to ride out an extended ban on overseas travel.

But, in responding to a recurrent message from the tourism industry, who have said domestic spending would not fill the gap left by international tourists, Steve Edmondson, owner/operator of Sailaway, said it is unrealistic to think that is possible.

“Our international targeted western market is blocked until 2022 effectively extending trade sanctions or an embargo.

“Tourism requires freedom of movement which has been ruled against for the management of national health risks. We also have an impacted domestic market through an all-time low in confidence to travel with state government uncertainties and inconsistencies.

“Port Douglas is uniquely impacted as a very desirable domestic and regional natural attraction which needs frequent affordable flights,” said Edmondson.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said he believes Australians will want to see more of their own backyard.
  
“With international travel out of the question, I am confident more Aussies are going to want to see more of their own backyard and beautiful regions like the Douglas Shire are well-positioned to capitalise on this trend.

“Whether it will fill the gap left by closed international travel will remain to be seen, but I know there are plenty of people down south who are itching for a Port Douglas and Daintree holiday,” said Mayor Kerr.

Tara Bennett, Tourism Port Douglas Daintree’s chief executive officer, said domestic tourism has the potential to make up for some of the shortfall in visitor numbers due to international border closures if we have more certainty around state handling of COVID clusters.

“The region has great appeal to domestic travellers and strong bookings for the winter months, however, we have seen cancellations in the last month amid growing uncertainty.

“There was more optimism for 2021 in the industry in December before the Sydney flare up and snap lockdown in Brisbane. The two events saw a significant loss in interstate travel confidence with 40% of Australians now not comfortable travelling interstate, up from 26% prior,” she said.

Mayor Kerr said he supported the continuation of a JobKeeper-like program to target support for international dependant tourism regions.
  
“I strongly support the continuation of a targeted JobKeeper program for regions like Douglas Shire.
“With more than 1200 local people on JobSeeker or Youth Allowance, the absence of any employment subsidy has potential to hurt our local economy,” he said.

Edmondson said we “absolutely need JobKeeper support at least $750 per fortnight as set up, based on current eligibility.

“We do not want to see any waste or inefficiency.

“However, crystal clear local and family businesses employing specialist skilled staff, deserve support to provide time for recovery to start and invest on preserving long established very successful businesses through no fault of their own disadvantaged and face increasing fixed costs and continually reducing income now for a very extended time.

Ms Bennett said TPDD is calling on the federal government to extend JobKeeper or a similar program to regions like Douglas who have suffered a significant economic downturn and will continue to do so.
  
Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said this year’s COVID-19 vaccination program would not bring everything back to normal given the global pandemic would continue, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Unfortunately, I think international border changes are probably going to be one of the last things that change, rather than the first,” he said.

Responding to what needs to be done to lure visitors to this region, Mayor Kerr said we need to keep improving our tourism products and effectively market these products to boost the overall visitor experience.

“This means a vibrant events calendar and more diverse experiences which encourage people to travel across the Douglas Shire.

“We need to celebrate our Shire’s diversity and uniqueness so people want to explore everything we have to offer,” he said.

Ms Bennett said TPDD and the Douglas tourism industry need to continue to market the region to domestic travellers with compelling reasons for travellers to choose our destination above others for their long awaited holiday.

“We have a range of targeted domestic activities for the coming months aiming to stimulate interest in the region and convert that into much-needed bookings,” she said.