The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is calling on the major parties to boost their focus on the tourism sector
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is calling on the major parties to boost their focus on the tourism sector in the lead up to the state election on March 21.
According to QTIC Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind, the peak body has outlined its key statewide issues and expectations for the next State Government in submissions to Labor, the LNP and the Queensland Greens.
“As the state’s second largest industry, tourism has a great potential to help retain Queensland jobs and to drive regional economies, even in these uncertain economic times,” he says.
“When the sector is suffering like it is now, we all realise just how important tourism is to Queensland and to our 120,000 local tourism employees.
“We’ve appealed to the major parties to place a greater and more consistent policy focus on tourism.”
QTIC calls on the next government to increase funding for tourism marketing, including restoring the marketing resources for Tourism Queensland to what they were 10 years ago in real terms.
“We’d also like to see some of the infrastructure spending planned for Queensland being injected into visitor and recreational projects such as national parks, visitor centres and foreshore developments, which will attract more visitors and support the tourism sector in an overall sense,” says Gschwind.
“Despite facing significant challenges on a regular basis, the threat to tourism from the current world economic crisis demands a more effective and better considered response than ever before.
“We are committed to working together with the next State Government to take all steps possible to protect Queensland jobs in our labour-intensive service industry.”
QTIC is the State’s peak body for tourism. The Council is a not-for-profit membership organisation representing members’ interests – both large and small.
It has in excess of 3,000 regional members, operating in all sectors of the tourism industry