Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy warned yesterday it is unlikely there will be a return to widespread overseas travel this year.
It is concerned domestic tourism cannot fill the void left by the halt in international visitors.
TTF Chief Executive Margy Osmond told Today that tourism was highly exposed to international border restrictions.
“We’re going to need a higher level of support. We’re an industry that is uniquely affected by what happens with borders.
“We can’t recover as an industry until international borders open and we won’t survive as an industry unless the issues around state borders are sorted out.”
Ms Osmond also said a spike in domestic tourism will not offset the halt in overseas visitors and their spending power.
“If you took a Chinese traveller, their average spend here in Australia is $8500 while they’re here. Your average Aussie probably spends about $1500.”
She also said domestic tourism was only thriving in patches of the country and border restrictions should be eased by state governments.
“We can probably get by if we do have unfettered domestic travel. But that’s not what’s happened at the moment. And the uncertainty around it is wrecking confidence and making people reluctant to book trips.”
“At the very least we are going to need an extension of JobKeeper, or a version of it.”
“But I think the critical thing is there is going to have to be a sort of systemic and strategic thought process on what it will take to keep the industry afloat. Or otherwise to be perfectly frank with you, this time next year we won’t have much of a tourism industry left.”
Shadow Minister Bill Shorten told Today that JobKeeper should be extended for the tourism industry.
“I think we are going to have to help bail out the travel agents. I would keep the JobKeeper going there.
“If the borders can’t open they are still affected but the travel agent, the mums and dad businesses in the high street of the cities and bush I think we should give them a hand.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a virtual meeting with representatives of foreign governments to discuss the global vaccine rollout.
Mr Morrison was scheduled to speak with representatives of Austria, Israel, Greece, Denmark the Czech Republic and Norway overnight.
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