Australia’s borders re-open next week, and fully vaccinated visa holders will be able to head ‘Down Under’ once more. The pandemic devastated tourism, but government and business hope the sector will recover over the next couple of years – and the ACT even sooner.

Tourism nationally has lost more than $100 billion since COVID hit 2020, says Dr David Marshall AM, chair of the Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum. The industry used to employ 1 million people a year, but 330,000 employees have moved to more secure industries. And despite government support, 30 to 40 per cent of tourism businesses may not survive.

“It’s been horrendous,” Dr Marshall said.

Canberra is primarily a domestic destination – traditionally, 90 per cent of its visitors come from NSW and Victoria – but it, too, has suffered.

Over the school holiday period and January, people did not come in the numbers they have in the past, Dr Marshall said. Visitor numbers to attractions and to hotels were much quieter than they would have been without the imposition of lockdowns, or the fact that people were hesitant to travel. The National Convention Centre has been almost empty for two years. Hotels and accommodation providers servicing the school excursion market have had nothing for two years, because school excursions were banned from all states.

“These businesses are in a desperate financial situation,” Dr Marshall said.

International visitors dwindled, too – from 271,000, spending $602 million, in the year ending September 2019 to 3,000 international visitors, spending $10 million, two years later, said Chief Minister Andrew Barr.

But, Dr Marshall predicted Australia would recover within 18 months to two years, if there were no other impediments (a new variant of COVID, or borders closing).

Canberra, he believes, could recover much more quickly. Airlines like Jetstar coming in will stimulate additional visitors, and Visit Canberra, the ACT’s official tourism organisation, has mounted a substantial campaign in core domestic markets.

“Come and Say G’day”

A new international marketing campaign could also bring foreign visitors to the ACT. Tourism Australia’s “Come and Say G’day: Don’t Go Small, Go Australia”, a $40 million campaign launched in Europe and North America, features some of Australia’s “most iconic destinations and experiences”. The ACT is represented by a hot-air balloon over Lake Burley Griffin, with Parliament House and the Brindabellas in the background.

The campaign will run in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the US. A similar campaign – “Come and Say G’day: Australia is Yours to Explore” was launched in Singapore when borders reopened there in November; it will be rolled out to China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.

“This marketing campaign will remind travellers around the world of the full range of incredible experiences that await them Down Under, and it will hopefully encourage more visitors to experience all we have to offer here in the nation’s capital,” said Senator Zed Seselja.

The new campaign was the first phase of a long-term strategy to restart tourism in Australia, he said. The Federal government will invest in more international tourism marketing campaigns later this year.

“This will get Australia back on people’s radar for a holiday,” Dr Marshall said. “Australia needs to rebuild its brand internationally. Because European and American borders have been open for months, Australia’s playing catch-up. We realize we’ve got a major job to convince people to start really looking at Australia, particularly as it’s a long-haul destination.”

Dr Marshall hoped the ACT would get a ‘spillover’ – visitors to Sydney or Melbourne might travel regionally.

“Canberra will benefit, because if Australia’s promoted, the offset is that some people certainly will want to visit Canberra. That’s going to be a plus. We don’t know how many, but any promotion like this – a massive, national campaign – will help every state and every territory.”

Tourism industry is positive

International visitors began trickling back to the ACT late last year. Singaporean leisure and business travellers returned in November, while Canberra’s tertiary education institutions had welcomed international students since December, Mr Barr said.

Over the last two years, Visit Canberra had kept Canberra ‘top-of-mind’ by working with Tourism Australia to include Canberra in key activities; train and engage with travel trade in international markets; host training webinars; and attend business to business events. Visit Canberra will host international media visits when the borders reopen.

“It is great to see Australia’s international border reopening,” Mr Barr said. “Our tertiary institutions, tourism industry, local businesses, and the broader Canberra community look forward to welcoming international students, business and leisure travellers back to the capital.”

Nevertheless, Mr Barr anticipated that traveller numbers would take a long time to reach pre-pandemic levels, as key markets’ willingness and confidence to travel internationally returned.

Dr Marshall was more hopeful.

“The industry is very positive things are going to recover,” he said. “It’ll take several months. But it’s important that we try to be optimistic about where we’re headed into the future, because it has been such a torrid two years.”

Plea for business support

The Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum and the Canberra Business Chamber have asked the ACT Government to re-establish business support packages – “very targeted business support for those sectors which can demonstrate they have been incredibly damaged by this pandemic and could face closure,” Dr Marshall said.

“We know the government hasn’t got unlimited resources, but I think it’s fair to ay that those businesses which have been impacted significantly through no fault of their own should have the support from the ACT Government.”

The ACT Government ran a “very successful” business support package last year, Dr Marshall said, but because of people’s hesitancy, a lot of restaurants and cafés in Canberra had been quiet.

“We need the vibrant ambience of a destination for people to feel comfortable and to have a good time,” Dr Marshall said. “We’re desperate to get people back shopping and back into attractions, and more confident about eating at a restaurant and all those sorts of thins that we did before COVID hit.”