CORANGAMITE Labor federal member Libby Coker says the Morrison Government has “abandoned” her electorate by not including it in its Recovery for Regional Tourism program.<\/p>\n
Announced in September last year, the $50 million fund is intended to support nine regions popular with international tourists.<\/p>\n
The Morrison Government says the program will allow the regions to adapt their offerings, experiences and marketing to appeal to domestic visitors in the short-term and be in the strongest possible position to eventually welcome back international tourists.<\/p>\n
The Great Ocean Road is not among the eligible regions, with Phillip Island the only Victorian destination on the list. The other eight include the entire state of Tasmania, and the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
Ms Coker sent a letter on Monday this week to federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan urging him to review the exclusion of the Bellarine, Surf Coast and Great Ocean Road regions from the fund.<\/p>\n
“The failure to include these key tourism destinations is in direct contradiction with the federal government’s own program guidelines which clearly state that ‘gross value added by international visitors and tourism employment in the region is a key factor in determining funding’,” Ms Coker states in the letter.<\/p>\n
Owner of The Salty Dog in Torquay, James Zocchi, said international visitation was at its lowest ebb and causing financial stress.<\/p>\n
“We don’t have the buses of international tourists coming through on day trips,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We need support to help us get through these hard times and would really welcome any injection of funding to stimulate the local economy and encourage visitors to come to the Great Ocean Road once we open up.”<\/p>\n
Business and Tourism Anglesea president and Great Ocean Road Resort owner Damien Cerantonio said businesses in the region needed financial support to ride out the pandemic.<\/p>\n
“The government needs to do everything it can to protect the region, especially the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They are a major drawcard to attract visitors to Australia and among our greatest national assets.<\/p>\n
“We must ensure that the region is ready and firing to go once we open up again.<\/p>\n
“We can only do that with financial support to assist the region to stay afloat during these very difficult times for tourism businesses.”<\/p>\n
Ms Coker said the latest data from Tourism Research Australia showed the Great Ocean Road and the Bellarine had suffered some of the highest losses in international visitation and revenue across the nation.<\/p>\n
“The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s top tourist destinations and has suffered a huge downturn in visitation and revenue during the pandemic but has been excluded from this funding,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Queensland on the other hand, which has not been as severely impacted, is receiving $23.5 million. This is unfair and inequitable and must be reassessed urgently by the Morrison Government.<\/p>\n
“I will continue to work with local tourism operators and businesses to push the federal government to enable our region access to this fund.<\/p>\n
“I will be raising this issue at the next parliamentary sitting.”<\/p>\n
Mr Tehan did not directly answer when asked why Geelong and the Great Ocean Road were excluded from the Recovery from Regional Tourism program, but said the Morrison Government had provided $41 billion in direct economic COVID-19 support in the Budget, following the end of JobKeeper.<\/p>\n
“We also included Avalon in our 800,000 half-price airfares initiative to help bring more tourists to the region.<\/p>\n
“We are also providing $154 million towards the Geelong City Deal that includes building new tourism facilities at the Twelve Apostles and Shipwreck coast.<\/p>\n
“The Great Ocean Road and surrounding areas also features in Tourism Australia\u2019s marketing campaigns, including the \u2018Holiday Here This Year\u2019 campaign, that encourages Australians to get out and explore more of the incredible tourism experiences our country has to offer.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CORANGAMITE Labor federal member Libby Coker says the Morrison Government has “abandoned” her electorate by not including it in its Recovery for Regional Tourism program. Announced in September last year, the $50 million fund is intended to support nine regions popular with international tourists. The Morrison Government says the program will allow the regions to […]<\/p>\n