Tourism Industry Joint Correspondence to Treasury's Coronavirus Business Liaison Unit

A joint submission from the CEOs of the Accommodation Association, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, Cruise Lines International Association Australasia, the Restaurant and Catering Association, the Business Events Council of Australia and the Tourism & Transport Forum.

Our industries have collectively experienced the economic double impact of bushfires and now the far greater impact of Covid19. Our sectors are beyond pain, we are facing extinction. Current economic modelling shows that over the course of 2020 we will likely see over 300,000 job losses in tourism, or almost half the sector.

For example, within the accommodation sector, hotels are facing occupancies of 10% or less across the country and will have no other recourse but to close their doors. And in the business events sector, every event from February 2020 through to November 2020 has been cancelled and revenues are already at zero. The harsh reality is that there is no longer any demand and therefore no work for most of our industry