Taneil Thornberry

It is, of course, a relief that some COVID-restrictions in Queensland are being eased, in response to the low, or zero, infection rate in our state.   However, this still offers only limited relief for tourism operators across the state, as long as most interstate visitors are locked out and fears of future restrictions keep consumers from committing to travel even within Queensland.  The situation for many businesses has further deteriorated and with the outlook for the September holidays still bleak; a growing number of operators are reaching the end of the line.

As our industry keeps getting tossed about on a sea of uncertainty caused by cyclone COVID, a distant lighthouse has appeared, guiding us to the Olympics in 2032. That is indeed good news and we are genuinely excited by the prospects ahead.

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) held a NAIDOC Corporate Breakfast, in the Year of Indigenous Tourism, this morning which sold out with over 350 tourism and corporate leaders in attendance.

This was meant to be a far more upbeat message, marking the start of the school holiday and further steps towards the recovery. Instead, the school holidays – again - come with severe COVID disruptions, reverberating from NSW throughout the country. We barely had a few days to enjoy the eased Queensland operating restrictions for hospitality venues and tourism transport operators before they were again reversed. It remains to be seen how much damage the new travel restrictions will do and what further measures may be put in place.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty created for consumers and our industry with COVID hotspots still declared for greater Melbourne and parts of Sydney, some good news has been announced yesterday.

The Queensland Government revealed that from Friday 25 June, some restrictions will be lifted that will make a very positive difference for tourism and hospitality businesses. The full details can be found here.

The State Budget was handed down by the Hon. Cameron Dick MP, State Treasurer and Minister for Investment on Tuesday 15 June 2021. To see the Budget Papers in full, click here. It must be noted both the state budget and the Queensland economy are in better shape than was anticipated a year ago. It is a more optimistic base for all sectors, including tourism. 

‘Ecosystem Restoration’ is the theme for the 2021 UN World Environment Day and what better location to celebrate for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) than at picturesque Hervey Bay with K’gari on their doorstep.

QTIC held its annual World Environment Day event on Friday 4 June to inspire operators to consider the opportunities that the industry will have in making sustainability and the environment part of the recovery of tourism – a competitive edge for Queensland in particular.

The Regional Tourism Career Roadshow, a project to promote job opportunities and careers in the tourism and hospitality industry will be held in Brisbane on the 25 and 26 May this year.

Being rolled out to the thirteen tourism regions throughout Queensland, the Roadshow events aim to encourage school leavers, mature age, and people from all backgrounds to consider taking on some of the diverse roles in the tourism and hospitality industry.  There are many career paths in the industry and thousands of job opportunities currently in Queensland, especially as domestic tourism is showing strong signs of recovery.   The two-day events will feature hands-on activities, such as cooking, events planning and tourism tasks, allowing participants to gain a first-hand insight into different career pathways.