Border closures bringing tourism industry to its knees, as leaders call for national approach

Border closures have thrown holidays into disarray – and the tourism sector says something has to be done.

The travel industry is suffering a “lack of consumer confidence” as SA’s latest outbreak caused premiers to lock their borders to South Australians, throwing holidays out the window

Industry leaders are calling for a national, unified approach to borders to ensure people are able to adequately plan travel and allow the ailing industry to regain its feet – eight months after border closures began.

Queensland and Western Australia have continued hard border closures on SA after instituting them last week, despite this state’s lockdown being lifted and there being no community transmission.

The Northern Territory has since scrapped a snap border closure and Victoria is only banning people who have been to identified hot spots.

Travel agent Phil Hoffmann said his business – and the travel industry at large – had been “devastated” by last week’s lockdown and the continuing uncertainty it had caused.

Phil Hoffmann with staff at his Glenelg agency. Picture: Sarah Reed

He said bookings for interstate travel in the next couple of months had been strong as people gained confidence that the virus was under control, but the lockdown resulted in mass cancellations.

Staff were now making an effort to get people to rebook, Mr Hoffmann said, in the hopes that borders would soon re-open. “One minute it looks like we’re going to be fully booked and the next minute they’re empty,” Mr Hoffmann said.

“It’s the confusion and it’s the stop-start that’s breaking hearts for potential travellers and also us doing the work because we’re now doing it twice, or three times sometimes.

“It’s getting to the point of, `How long do we have to put up with this stuff’?”

Mr Hoffmann called for a unified national approach to interstate borders – and criticised interstate leaders for closing borders.

Council of Australian Tour Operators chairman and Bunnik Tours owner Dennis Bunnik said the “kneejerk reactions” to shut borders had thrown into doubt a planned tour his company was set to run to Tasmania – its first tour since March.

Dennis Bunnik, joint CEO, Bunnik Travel Group. Picture: Tom Huntley

He said six of the 18 passengers were South Australian, and it was unlikely to make any money if they could not travel.“The cost for the industry, in terms of continued uncertainty and a lack of consumer confidence, is probably the biggest cost, and that’s unquantifiable,” Mr Bunnik said. “The events of the last week have been disappointing on many levels.”

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said promotion of travel was being ramped up and a planned opening to Victoria next month was expected to deliver a boost to the industry.

“South Australia has been here before and we came back strong – and we are working together as a state to get back on track for a safe summer holidays and a reopening of borders in time for Christmas," Mt Harrex said.

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