Tourism in Action: Message from Daniel (June)

This was meant to be a far more upbeat message, marking the start of the school holiday and further steps towards the recovery. Instead, the school holidays – again - come with severe COVID disruptions, reverberating from NSW throughout the country. We barely had a few days to enjoy the eased Queensland operating restrictions for hospitality venues and tourism transport operators before they were again reversed. It remains to be seen how much damage the new travel restrictions will do and what further measures may be put in place.

Without a doubt, consumers’ confidence to book any interstate travel will take a severe hit, as will the recovery of corporate travel and events. Again our industry will have to dig deep and draw on every bit of resilience and adaptability we can muster. 
 
QTIC will continue to do what we can to achieve the best outcomes for tourism from state and federal government, including mapping a path towards ‘living with the virus’ and making sure the government directs its resources towards supporting an industry that remains one of the most affected industries. This is the message we have taken to the Minister and Queensland Government today already, suggesting that further support will be required. More than ever, tourism needs to be present and united and I want to thank all those businesses who have already committed to us with the 2021-22 membership of QTIC. We appreciate the support which will allow us to continue advocating for you through these tough times.
 
Tourism will recover. After all, we are offering something humanity needs and wants: memorable, positive experiences that make our lives better; activities that bring us closer together and enrich our existence. Maybe COVID’s most lasting legacy will be that we appreciate even more what we don’t currently have: the freedom to travel. 
 
We’ll never give up!

Daniel Gschwind