Talking Point: Prepare for the sun to rise again in tourism

LUKE MARTIN: In these dark days for our tourism industry, we must seek assistance and hold firm. When given the green light again, we will go hard

HOPE: Dove Lake Viewing Shelter Development Proposal, part of the Cradle Mountain Master Plan. The plan and the two new Spirit of Tasmania ships are nationally signiicant public tourism investments.

TO think we seriously hoped the cancellation of Dark Mofo a fortnight ago was going to be the low point for Tasmania.

How naive were we?

For the tens of thousands of Tasmanians who directly or indirectly earn their living from our visitor economy, the scale and pace of the systematic closure of our industry over the past two weeks has been devastatingly abrupt and tragic.

We have had disruptions in the past, whether airline groundings, natural disasters or economic downturns, but nothing like this. The Mother of all Black Swan events with no certain end in sight.

As a tourism industry we support every decision Premier Peter Gutwein and all levels of government are making in the interests of public health and safety. We understand the rationale and the need to keep us all safe.

Nevertheless, it has been heartbreaking to see iconic Tasmanian tourism and hospitality operators close their doors and stand down their staff.

Our most celebrated tourism operators, some of whom earlier this month were being lauded at another Tasmanian triumph at the Australian Tourism Awards, now reduced to skeleton staff and maintenance.

The many Tasmanian small businesspeople who have joined our visitor economy over the past few years as part of the much-lauded tourism boom reaching out now in dire straits for assistance.

But what will most haunt us from this crisis is the image of scores of Tasmanian young people, who have been attracted to our industry on the promise of a meaningful and secure future, and who have helped build our industry’s success over the past few years, now lining up at Centrelink.

Spirit of Tasmania. Picture: AFP

For an industry that has prided itself on its emergence over the past 20 years in providing Tasmania with a sustainable and resilient source of economic wealth and employment, to see us reduced to this in the state’s hour of need has been the very worst of nightmares play out in real time.

Our priority right now is support. For our industry, our businesses, and our workers.

The scale of the assistance being made available by state and federal governments, along with the banks, is immense.

The task right now is to assist operators who want to ride this out and keep their business alive to access what’s available. Fast.

We need to minimise their outgoings through deferrals of any non-essential payments, and governments and the banks need to move quickly in making cash available to support operators who want to trade this out.

For self-employed and owner-operator businesses that make up about half our industry, access to Newstart and superannuation is critical. As undesirable as that sounds for many of us, it is cash that these small businesspeople can get quickly to ensure their wellbeing over the coming months.

For businesses and employers, it is all about deferral of payments and tax relief, access to the tax credits, and zero or low interest loans.

The State Government’s zero-interest business loans and the Australia Government’s bank guarantees are going to be critical for many businesses needing cash to ensure their solvency and to be in a position to restart activities as soon as they are able.

For our workers who have been stood down, it is about holding firm, getting access to income support and assistance and taking whatever comfort you can in the knowledge that you are as essential to our industry’s restart and rebuild as anyone.

When the industry gets the green light to resume operations, we will go hard. Our operators will be reinstating workers and employing again as much as they can, as quickly as they can. We will need you, your skills, and your passion for our state and its tourism industry more than ever.

When this might be and what it will look like, who knows? We can take some comfort in the knowledge that from every past disruption in the global travel market, Tasmania has bounced back quickly and strongly. Yes, this is a big and unprecedented disruption. But history shows our brand as a safe and reassuring destination never shines brighter than in times of uncertainty. I expect the first green shoots of recovery will be seeded by our fellow Tasmanians.

When local restrictions are eventually lifted it won’t be so much “come down for air”, as it will be “get out for air” and encouraging Tasmanians to reconnect with our own backyard.

The intrastate visitor market is worth $1 billion in economic activity to the state each year from Tasmanians holidaying at home. We’ll need to activate that market into our regional communities as soon as it is safe to do so.

The medium to long-term forecasts for our industry remain strong.

We have exciting new hotels opening over the next couple of years. We have investments right now in whisky and wine tourism to look forward to. New bike tracks opening, iconic walks being developed and Mona 2.0. We have in the Cradle Mountain Master Plan and the new Spirit of Tasmania ships, arguably the two most significant public tourism investments anywhere in Australia, both set to come online over the next few years in regional Tasmania.

Yes, these are dark days for our industry and community. And it may get darker still.

But one day the sun will rise again, and we’ll be ready. Just stay safe in the meantime.

Luke Martin is chief executive of the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania.