Qld tourism leaders fear PCR tests will send holiday-makers elsewhere

Queensland’s embattled tourist operators have called on the Government to scrap plans to make visitors shell out for expensive Covid-19 tests before entering the state.

Tourism leaders have called on the State Government to scrap a plan forcing interstate visitors to take expensive Covid-19 tests amid predictions it will cost the industry millions of dollars a day.

From December 17, fully-vaccinated interstate residents will be allowed into Queensland without going into quarantine provided they submit to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid tests before arrival.

However, there are fears the cost of the tests – at $150 a pop, will send holiday-makers looking elsewhere, costing the state’s ailing tourism industry more financial misery.

The warning comes as no new community cases were recorded in Queensland, with just one new case recorded in hotel quarantine.

Attention is rapidly turning to December 17 when Queensland opens the floodgates to the resumption of widescale domestic travel, but there are fears it will be more trickle than flood.

With Queensland one of the only states to insist on the tests as an entry requirement, a family of four from NSW or Victoria is faced with the choice of spending $600 on PCR tests to go to Queensland, or save the money and go to the Tweed Shire or Byron Bay instead.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said early booking data suggested the requirement, as spelled out in the state’s road map to recovery guidelines, would cost his region alone about $700,000 a day.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen

The Gold and Sunshine coasts stand to lose similar amounts.

“This will really hurt the industry,” Mr Olsen said.

“There’s a clear correlation (between the policy and the return of interstate travel).”

He said he had lobbied Queensland Health to consider replacing the PCR tests with cheaper rapid antigen tests.

Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said PCR tests were a ‘disincentive’ that could see holiday-makers desert Queensland, calling for the introduction of rapid antigen testing instead.

‘‘It’s going to be a competitive market between the states for domestic tourists....so governments need to be agile enough to respond to the technology for a price sensitive market,” she said.

“If you’re flying on a discount airfare to Queensland, it could be the case your PCR tests will cost more than the airline tickets for a family of four and that is likely to impact the holiday plans of many prospective holiday-makers.’’

Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the cost of PCR testing presented “an additional barrier” for interstate travellers to budget for their next holiday.

Patricia O’Callaghan, CEO of Destination Gold Coast

“Destination Gold Coast supports COVID-19 testing and policies that keep the public and our operators safe, however, there needs to be a balance that enables our industry to recover and visitors to travel with ease into our city and we look forward to continuing discussions with Government on this issue,” she said.

“We know the Gold Coast is the most searched holiday destination in Australia and we hope to move the web traffic to foot traffic this summer.”

Queensland Health administered 14,432 vaccines on Tuesday, bringing the state’s first dose rate to 82.75 per cent and 71.07 per cent full vaccinated

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gave a special call out to the Townsville community vaccination centre that administered 1355 jabs – the most of any one centre in the state.

Ms Palaszczuk announced a raft of sporting heroes including Brisbane Broncos NRL stars Justin Hodges, Darius Boyd and Payne Haas would visit jab hubs at schools this weekend to help boost the vaccination rate.

Meanwhile, more than 100 returning or relocating Queenslanders have arrived in Queensland since the start of the new border pass system on Monday.

So far 1319 RQ pass applications have been approved for travel.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Queensland Health said PCR testing was “efficient, reliable and accurate”.

“This will continue to be the preferred method of testing,” the statement said.

“PCR test results can be turned around on the same day, depending on the volume of testing being performed.

“Rapid antigen tests for specific cohorts and specific testing situations may be considered in the future.”