ATEC calls for clarity over the re-opening of international borders

Australia’s export tourism industry is awaiting the announcement of the exact date for the reopening of international borders. With the announcement that New South Wales (NSW) will no longer require quarantine for overseas arrivals from November, there are now calls from the tourism industry for a date to work towards. Peter Shelley (pictured), managing director of the Australia Tourism Export Council (ATEC), said: “Since the announcement by the NSW Government last Friday, our members have been fielding inquiries from intending travellers looking to book an Australian holiday or visit their family, but they still can’t make these bookings with any certainty.” Shelley continued: “We simply can’t afford to continue to keep our borders closed to high spending international travellers and miss critical ‘booking windows’ as these people simply will choose to holiday in other competing destinations, putting Australia at the bottom of their bucket list”. ATEC is calling on the Federal Government to provide a date and a framework for reopening, so that tourism businesses across the country can plan to rebuild distribution partnerships, lock in bookings for 2022, and help bring life back into the AUS$45bn (US$34bn) industry sector which was crippled by the pandemic. Shelley concluded: “Now is the time to provide clarity about Australia’s reopening to the world, and offer certainty to our industry, providing a much-needed opportunity for our financially fragile and work-depleted industry to commence the long road to rebuilding what was once Australians second largest export industry.”