News & Announcements January 2021

 

National and state tourism bodies have been united this week in urging the Commonwealth Government to provide targeted support for tourism operators set to struggle beyond the scheduled end date for the JobKeeper program.

QTIC Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said, “JobKeeper has been a highly effective lifeline for tens of thousands of businesses in our industry. Many will still struggle to survive without some support as long as international borders remain shut and uncertainty remains over domestic travel conditions”.

Despite the temporary relief for many operators that the last weekend provided, with strong activity reported from across the state, there can be no illusion that the challenges for us are still significant. 

The recent backwards step in relation the NZ ‘travel bubble’, the desperate situation for airports, airlines and travel agents, the absence of any business travel, the constraints on events and, of course the consumer uncertainty, are just some of the problem areas our industry is trying to overcome. 

Do you know where to find Queensland’s best holiday accommodation as voted by travellers? 

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council and Star Ratings Australia are proud to announce the 2020 Gold List of Queensland Accommodation. 

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is excited to present a new tourism program in 2021 to recognise Queensland’s diverse and outstanding regional destinations.

QTIC’s Top Tourism Town Awards aim to recognise and reward towns that offer an amazing visitor experience, where tourism operators, businesses, and the local community work together to make their town the best destination.

Sourcing insurance cover has emerged as a significant challenge in the economic recovery of tourism businesses in Queensland and across Australia. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is currently facilitating a project that seeks to identify the specific issues of concern in relation to insurance for tourism and hospitality businesses in Queensland and nationally.

A significant and positive step today after the lockdown measures on Friday. The Premier announced this morning that most of the lockdown measures for Greater Brisbane would ease from 6:00 PM tonight. This follows another day of no local COVID cases and is the best possible outcome. Residual measures will remain in place for the next ten days to Friday 22 January, specifically the mask requirements for many activities.  Unfortunately, social distancing requirement for restaurants and hospitality venues over 200 square metres will go back to 1 guest per 4 square metres and dinners will need to be seated. Venues under 200 square metres will remain at 1 per 2 square metres.

As you most likely have heard, the Premier this morning announced that four local government areas (Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton and Redland City) will be placed under restrictions from 6:00 PM tonight, similar to the lockdown measures in March 2020.

This measure is taken in response to the confirmed case of a quarantine hotel worker who tested positive to the more infectious UK strain of the COVID virus. The infected person visited several locations and all close contacts are now being investigated to limit any spread.