The upcoming federal budget will include $60m to try to fast-track the return of international visitors to regional tourism destinations hit hard by Covid-19 border closures.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will acknowledge his tourism marketing background on Tuxjmtzywesday to announce additional funding aimed at luring overseas tourists back Down Under.
He was the former managing director of Tourism Australia from 2004 to 2006 and signed off on the infamous “So where the bloody hell are you?” campaign featuring Lara Bingle.
Mr Morrison will announce $45m in extra cash for the tourism agency to increase its marketing initiatives and extend its upcoming campaign to feature key regional destinations.
Places to benefit would include the Gold Coast, the NSW North Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Great Ocean Road, the NSW Hunter, Uluru, the Kimberley and parts of Tasmania.
Another $15m will go Tropical North Queensland’s tourism body to promote the Great Barrier Reef.
“Our government is backing Australia’s tourism industry with a $60 million plan to bring back international visitors, especially to the regions that have been hardest hit,” the Prime Minister said.
“As the world reopens, and travellers get out and see the world again, we want to ensure that at the top of every must-see-list is Australia.
“I have been listening to tourism industry operators about what they will need to rebuild their international tourist businesses and this funding boost will deliver on these needs.
“The package is about getting people on planes and getting them here. It’s about converting the strong interest in Australia to actual businesses.”
Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said the extra funding would build on existing efforts already taking place.
“This campaign is just the start of a long-term strategy to restart tourism to Australia, with further investment in tourism marketing campaigns internationally to come in the second half of the year,” he said.
“Our government is working with the sector on a long-term strategy to grow the value of the visitor economy to $230 billion by 2030.”
Figures show since Australia reopened its international border to vaccinated tourists on February 1, overseas arrivals have increased slowly from 17,000 in the first week, to 23,700 last week.
