New
data from Tourism Tasmania has revealed how difficult the last 12 months have
been for Tasmania’s tourism industry.
Shadow
Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Rebecca White said the data
revealed that Tasmania had 44 per cent less visitors for the year until June
2021 than the period ending June 2020.
“Today’s
data shows how difficult it has been for workers and businesses in the tourism
sector over the past 12 months,” Ms White said.
“The
data shows that not only was the number of visitors down 44 per cent, but the
visitor spend was down 27 per cent.
“This
is why Labor called for greater support for the tourism industry, to protect
jobs and the sustainability of businesses in the sector, because we were
hearing how devastating the impacts of COVID continue to be for the visitor
economy.”
Ms
White said it was clear the industry was not out of the woods yet.
“With
a case in Tasmania and border restrictions remaining in place for some time,
the government needs to be open to offering further support to maintain jobs
and businesses across the state.
“We are not through this pandemic yet, and it is vital the government are ready to increase support if it is needed.”
Rebecca White MP
Shadow Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events
