TOURISM and transport operators have overwhelmingly welcomed news Australia will lift its international border ban on February 21, but are cautioning that it will take years to rebuild the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecoming international in the first place was very hard, to do it all over again will take some time,\u201d said Avalon CEO Justin Giddings, describing it as a medium to longer term project.<\/p>\n
Prior to the pandemic flight routes to Bali and Kuala Lumpur had been established and an MoU had been signed with VietJet to fly to Vietnam but all ceased when the airport closed international flights in March 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready to take airlines as soon as they are able to organise schedules, we don\u2019t have a time frame yet, but hopefully as soon as possible,\u201d Mr Giddings said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s going to take a bit of effort for these airlines to be encouraged to get the confidence to come back to Australia after two years of absence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe industry has changed a lot, some airlines have gone out of business, so they\u2019re doing it tough, obviously.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment we\u2019re just flying domestic to Sydney and the Gold Coast but I\u2019m very confident we\u2019ll see international services operating this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m continuing to work with airlines, have had two already contact me today. But that will be up to my successor and team to take that forward,\u201d added Mr Giddings, who recently announced he would be stepping down from the role of Avalon CEO.<\/p>\n
While welcoming the announcement, Mr Giddings believes it is belated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think before Christmas would\u2019ve been good, and even special travel such as international students so they could make arrangements for this term, preferably to Deakin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regional tourism lobbies are similarly buoyed by the news but similarly note that it will take years to rekindle a sector that lost one of its largest customer bases two years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll start activating now, but it will take time to rebuild these markets, really it could take til 2024 to start seeing pre-pandemic numbers,\u201d general anager of Great Ocean Road Tourism Liz Price said.<\/p>\n
As the most visited region outside of Melbourne \u201cthe Surf Coast is very conscious of international travel. Having a date will provide industry with optimism and allow operators to reactivate international markets that have been dormant, some of them \u2013 like China – since 2019,\u201d said Ms Price.<\/p>\n
Pre pandemic visitation rates for the Great Ocean Road were around 1.2 million people a year, 800,000-900,000 of those were day trippers and 270,000 would stay overnight.<\/p>\n
Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine also welcomed the news, \u201cA sign of positivity for tourism operators\u201d executive director Brett Ince said, pointing to multiple positive knock-on effects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can welcome international carriers back to Avalon such as Air Asia \u2026 Geelong and the Bellarine especially has a significant amount of expats overseas, being able to reconnect with friends and family in our region is welcomed by our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a \u201cgreen light for international events\u201d according to Mr Ince, noting that events such the Avalon International Airshow, Cadel Evans bike race and Rip Curl Pro rely on having overseas competitors and acts in the mix.<\/p>\n
As the tourism sector welcomes back those from overseas, Ms Price suggested focus should also be given to opportunities \u201cas we rebuild to build back differently, and target markets that are going to stay longer and explore more of the region\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr Giddings is also eyeing benefits for the region, citing the nearly half a million people who passed through Avalon Airport in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a significant amount of money going into local economy, such a catalyst for growth. It really will give the Geelong region a magnificent boost, particularly if it manages to expand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOURISM and transport operators have overwhelmingly welcomed news Australia will lift its international border ban on February 21, but are cautioning that it will take years to rebuild the sector. \u201cBecoming international in the first place was very hard, to do it all over again will take some time,\u201d said Avalon CEO Justin Giddings, describing […]<\/p>\n