Australia is reeving up its efforts to attract tourists back to the country.
Australia has been largely praised for its ability to “flatten the curve,” with attention now turning to whether the country can avoid a second wave of Covid-19 infections as restrictions begin to relax.
Earlier in the month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison argued that the country “cannot allow our fear of going backward stop us from going forwards.”
With a three-stage plan to re-open now in place, Morrison is hoping to reach the final phase of his road map by July. This would see the majority of workers back in offices, pubs and clubs open, gatherings of up to 100 people and interstate travel.
Over the May 16-17 weekend, Tourism Australia — the country’s national travel organization — called upon a couple of well-known personalities to kick start the torism industry.
Streamed on Facebook, the virtual event “Live from Aus” transported viewers to 36 destinations down under. The two-day program was filled with famous Australian travel experiences and hosted by zookeepers, chefs and other personalities.
It’s all part of an ongoing push by Tourism Australia to inspire Aussies to travel locally once it is safe to do so.
The coronavirus pandemic has halted international travel for the foreseeable future. But, as restrictions begin to ease in Australia, domestic travel is being seen as a big step forward in the road to recovery.
“Sixty percent of our consumers plan to take a holiday as soon travel restrictions are lifted,” explained Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia.
“We are a nation of travelers. Australians took 6.5 million outbound trips last year. There is a real opportunity to encourage those people, taking those trips, to discover their own backyard.”
“The restart of travel is going to be gradual. We will start with a day trip to enjoy local gems or have a food and wine experience. That will then progress to overnight stays locally and then potentially inter-state. Then, hopefully in the long term, international travel.”
