Caravan Industry Association of Australia Welcomes Release of Long-awaited Reimagining Visitor Economy Strategy

Caravan Industry Association of Australia

Caravan Industry Association of Australia welcomes the release of the ‘Reimagining the Visitor Economy’ draft report by The Hon. Dan Tehan, Minister for Tourism. The report provides an overview of the way forward for Australia’s visitor economy with most of the key issues faced by industry operators recognised and addressed throughout.

“This report is an important step towards the recovery of an industry that has been devastated throughout the last 18 months,” said Stuart Lamont, CEO of Caravan Industry Association of Australia.

“Looking ahead, it is vital that this strategy is resourced appropriately and receives bipartisan support as the sector moves to recover losses and build back with greater resilience.”

The report identifies the importance of domestic tourism as the bedrock of tourism moving forward and also places strong emphasis on product and destination development, particularly in regional Australia.

As the largest provider of holiday nights around Australia, the caravan and camping industry will be a vital part of the tourism recovery. However, like many sub-sectors of the visitor economy, access and affordability of insurance as well as sourcing labour is restricting businesses from operating at full capacity.

“Many businesses are understaffed with numerous caravan parks reporting insurance premium increases of up to 300%. Worryingly, some parks are simply unable to find insurance providers. These businesses have an uncertain summer ahead.”

Caravan Industry Association of Australia will continue to provide support for the 6,000 businesses across Australia’s the industry and drive demand for caravan and camping experiences through Let’s Go Caravan and Camping and via industry partnerships.

In the last twelve months, despite lockdowns and border closures, caravan and camping accounted for 53 million nights around Australia, with 92% of these in regional Australia.

/Public Release.