Coronavirus: state plan to drive tourism recovery

Queensland’s beleaguered tourism industry is hoping for a resurgenc­e in the once-popular driving holiday to ensure its survival.

Workers on Hamilton Island Michael Strybis, Brian Blight and Michael Williams prepare for domestical arrivals from a rise in economic patriotism.

Queensland’s beleaguered tourism industry is hoping for a resurgenc­e in the once-popular driving holiday to ensure its survival.

And luxury resorts across the state are expecting a lift in their bookings as wealthy Australians denied access to international travel holiday closer to home.

State Tourism Minister Kate Jones has revealed that a major investme­nt in promoting drive holidays is the centrepiece of the government’s plan to support the industry through the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief among her targets are Australians who would normally visit Bali or Southeast Asian beach resorts. “Just because you did the Whitsundays in the 80s doesn’t mean you know what it’s like now,” Ms Jones said.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the region’s tourism industr­y, with both international and domestic flights grounded.

Tourism is worth $671m to the Whitsundays economy — almost a quarter of the gross regional product — and supports 6300 jobs, more than a third of the region’s employment. The likelihood of sever­ely reduced inter­national travel for months or years after the initial crisis has passed poses opportun­ities for domestic tourism operators.

Hamilton Island chief executive Glenn Bourke said the resort had a “suite of marketing campaigns” ready to roll out when domestic travel restrictions were lifted. The resort would pay special attention to the luxury end of the tourist market, given that wealthy Australians who would normally travel overseas for their holidays would be looking for similar high-end resorts closer to home. “That top end of the market is more resilient that we think,” he said.

Ms Jones said the government was ready to launch new marketing campaigns based on drive tourism within weeks. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that when people make that decision (on travel), they fall back on what they know,” she said.

“Before we saw budget airlines offering cheap deals to places like Bali, Thailand and Vietnam, places like the Whitsundays were Australia’s playground. We’re capitalising on that to drive a resurgence in domestic visitor numbers.”

Tourism Whitsundays chief executive Tash Wheeler said the group wanted to reach visitors from Sydney and Melbourne who would usually be looking to head to Bali during the colder months.