Tourism Council WA: State tourism industry has lost USD1.7bn since Apr-2020

Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall reported (27-Oct-2020) the state's tourism industry has lost AUD2.4 billion (USD1.7 billion) in revenue since the closure of its borders in Apr-2020, with monthly losses still at least AUD200 million (USD142.4 million). Mr Hall reported more than 40% of Western Australia's tourism businesses remain on JobKeeper, meaning their turnover remained down by more than 30% at the end of Sep-2020. Mr Hall said: "Without JobKeeper and interstate bookings for 2021, the tourism industry will lose the ability to recover" and reiterated that the industry was willing to work on a plan to welcome back interstate visitors from other COVID-safe states, and "do what it takes to facilitate a safe border opening, including thorough testing, cleaning, and records of attendance". [more - original PR]