News & Announcements

At the end of next week, I will step down from my role here at the QTIC. After more than 21 years with this organisation, it will be quite a change for me. The organisation, on the other hand, will continue to serve its members and the industry with the same dedication and commitment as it always has. We have an outstanding staff, with the skills and compassion to continue supporting our members, our other stakeholders and all parties who contribute to this extraordinary industry.

With the federal budget announcement tomorrow and the elections not far off, attention is firmly turning on the major fiscal measures and other policy settings that will affect our industry. In collaboration with the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) we have made a range of recommendations in our policy submissions to the federal government, both for next year's budget and for the elections. A summary of our key priorities is attached. Over the coming weeks, we will provide you with more details and background on the important tourism topics that we have identified for the major parties. 

I am not sure when the time will finally come for us to write an unconditionally positive message at the top of our newsletter. I for one cannot wait. We thought we were finally getting to that point and cheerfully joined the team at Brisbane International Airport and Assistant Minister Michael Healy to welcome the first plane load of arrivals under quarantine-free international travel conditions. And a momentous occasion it was, after almost two years, to see some activity in the international arrivals hall.

It has not been quite the start to 2022 we had in mind. After a very positive Christmas and New Year period, most tourism and hospitality businesses have found themselves in a doubly difficult set of circumstances. Not only have many consumers gone back into some self-imposed, quasi-lock down mode; what business was still on offer has been difficult to service at full capacity for operators, with staff either sick or at home as close contacts.

As we sign off on the second COVID-year, I must admit that I can hardly remember what we had to worry about before we had this virus to drive us to distraction.

A world without this new global vocabulary of social distancing, border passes, boosters, suppression strategies, tracing, close contacts ... it seems like a distant memory of some idyllic land.

Of course, the times BC (Before COVID) were not without challenges, but it feels as though we had a lot more control over our lives, our businesses and our future. I wish there was some cheerful message to declare that 2022 will bring the end of all our COVID worries and will see us return to were we left off in December 2019. That will not happen.

Despite the continued uncertainty, we are sticking with the good news of the imminent state border opening on 17 December. Omicron may throw another twist into the COVID story but we have known for some time that with new variants or not, we will have to ‘live with it’. That will also mean to build up some immunity to the panicked reactions of media to any global news and we have to support measured and calm local policy responses. Queensland is in a very good position to stay on the recovery track – the tourism industry as well as the community needs to rebuild.

This state of origin contest matters more than any other.

For a state so obsessively focused on coming out on top of NSW and other states when it comes to sporting contests, we should transfer that fighting spirit to matching it with the rest of Australia when it comes to COVID vaccination rates. Disappointingly, Queensland is not making the grade at the moment, lagging behind almost at the bottom of the table. Finally, the state government has given us what we had been calling for months: a roadmap out of isolation and towards a more sustainable tourism future. We will continue to work with the federal and state governments to map out the necessary operational details of getting our industry and your businesses going again.

Going with the good news first: today we celebrate the UN World Tourism Day. You may not be in the mood for celebration just yet, but it does not hurt to use the occasion to reflect on some positives for our industry. The theme for the global event this year is Tourism for Inclusive Growth, a reminder of just how powerful tourism is as an agent for positive outcomes. Not just as an economic powerhouse but as a driver of social inclusion, regional employment, cultural and heritage protection, environmental sustainability and also health and wellbeing. We should be proud of how businesses, large and small, are genuinely contributing to a better world. ‘Travel for good’, a recent theme of TEQ’s efforts, is a reflection of this and can have real meaning and substance behind it. We have used the theme of World Tourism Day to launch our new Accessible Tourism module under our Quality Tourism Framework, a national program of the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC). More details of this new program can be found below.

It is, of course, a relief that some COVID-restrictions in Queensland are being eased, in response to the low, or zero, infection rate in our state.   However, this still offers only limited relief for tourism operators across the state, as long as most interstate visitors are locked out and fears of future restrictions keep consumers from committing to travel even within Queensland.  The situation for many businesses has further deteriorated and with the outlook for the September holidays still bleak; a growing number of operators are reaching the end of the line.