Liberals – Coalition’s Plan for Real Action on Tourism

Coalition’s Plan for Real Action on Tourism
The Coalition is determined to support the Australian tourism industry.

We understand the importance of tourism and services exports to the national economy, and the fundamental role tourism plays in providing jobs, investment and growth in towns and communities right across Australia.

Tourism is an integral part of Australia’s economy, providing employment for nearly 500,000 Australians and accounting for $92 billion of economic activity.

With $24 billion in export earnings, tourism is Australia’s largest services export earner.

Rather than supporting Australia’s tourism industry, Labor has increased tourism taxes, driven up business costs and abolished tourism infrastructure programmes.

Labor’s debt and deficit have put pressure on interest rates and increased cost of living pressures on families who are forced to make difficult choices.

Families that have to spend more on their household budget have less to spend on travel and holidays.

This has a direct flow-on impact upon the domestic tourism industry.

At the same time, the Coalition’s polices to extend the Education Tax Rebate, restore indexation to the Child Care Rebate, oppose new taxes and pay off Labor’s debt will take the pressure off household budgets.

This will help ease living costs for families, meaning more disposable income for holidays and travel.

The Coalition’s plan for real action on tourism will help give the Australian tourism sector the support needed to prosper and grow.

Domestic tourism is the industry’s ‘bread and butter’, accounting for around three quarters of Australia’s tourism GDP. The Coalition believes Australia’s 67 Regional Tourism Organisations are best placed to promote local tourism to the domestic market. We will provide $14 million over four years towards Domestic Tourism Development Grants of up to $100,000 per annum for Regional Tourism Organisations.

The future of Australian tourism depends on building tourism infrastructure and increasing the appeal of what the country can offer. Â The Coalition will provide $40 million over four years towards a Tourism Infrastructure and Development Fund to drive investment in the tourism sector.

The Fund will provide grants of up to $100,000 to support projects that help to drive the development of local tourism products. Infrastructure grants will also be available for larger projects. Applications for funding will be assessed for their potential to contribute to tourism employment and growth, with a particular focus on those communities reliant on tourism for their economic growth.

Business events produce the highest daily yield of any sector of the tourism industry. The business events sector contributes an estimated $17.6 billion a year to the national economy, generating 116,000 jobs.

Business events also promote and showcase Australian expertise and innovation to the world and attract global leaders and investment decision makers who might otherwise not have come to Australia.

The Coalition has already announced that it will provide Tourism Australia with a further $10.5 million over four years to increase the marketing capacity of Business Events Australia.

This significant investment will increase the funding available to Business Events Australia and bring Australia’s business events marketing capability closer to our international competitors.

The Coalition will also provide the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux with $17.5 million over four years to operate a Business Events Bid and Boost Fund.

This industry partnership fund will provide the business events sector with a significant pool of funds to coordinate and support bids for key international conferences. The fund will also help boost conference revenue.

A strong research foundation is critical to building Australian tourism, to investigate ways to make the industry more sustainable and to identify emerging trends and gaps in the market.

The Coalition will provide Tourism Research Australia with $8 million over four years to grow Australia’s tourism research capabilities. The Coalition will commit an additional $90 million over the forward estimates towards these initiatives.

Labor has failed to support the tourism sector.

The Coalition’s plan for real action on tourism will help give the Australian tourism sector the support it needs to prosper and grow.