TTF Australia and VTIC call for USD925m lifeline for Victoria's tourism industry

Tourism and Transport Forum Australia (TTF Australia) and the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) jointly called (26-Oct-2020) on the Victorian State Government to provide a AUD1.3 billion (USD925.5 million), four year economic lifeline for the state's tourism industry. According to research compiled for TTF, up to 165,000 tourism jobs could be lost in the state over the next 12 months, with the Australian Federal Government's JobKeeper subsidy scheduled to come to an end in Mar-2021. TTF CEO Margy Osmond said Victoria was a unique case in that it had suffered the triple whammy of the summer bushfires and two COVID lockdowns with little or no intrastate travel while other states had at least had the benefit of their residents being able to take holidays internally. VTIC CEO Felicia Mariani called on the Victorian State Government to set a hard reopening date for the industry. TTF and VTIC are also calling on the Australian Federal Government for the continuation of JobKeeper, which they estimate could save over 85,000 tourism jobs in Victoria by Sep-2021. [more - original PR]