Border restrictions debate
Posted on May 26th, 2020
With the Premier stating her intention to keep southerners at bay with continued border closures, despite easing restrictions across the State, Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll is pleading the State Government to consider reopening the state’s borders faster to assist in the revitalisation of the domestic tourism industry.
After taking a massive hit over the past months, the Central Queensland tourism industry is desperate for borders to reopen in order to stimulate the local economy and save local jobs.
Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said “Normally, tourism operators and small businesses typically have the busy winter season to look forward to when our interstate visitors, particularly from NSW and Victoria escape the southern chill to our sub-tropical climate,”
“We have seventeen commercial caravan parks in the Rockhampton region and Capricorn Coast alone, who rely upon the six-month winter period to carry them through financially for the entire year.”
“It would be catastrophic if the interstate borders were not to re-open until September, which represents nearly nine months of minimal to no income for our tourism and hospitality sector which further impacts retail and our broader business sectors.”
“I am fielding daily distressed calls and emails from our operators, with this latest border war increasing business anxiety.”
A number of significant funding initiatives have been announced today by the Qld State Government which are welcomed, however, there is a very real danger that some of our small businesses will not start again if these border restrictions are not lifted. With school holidays and what should be a busy holiday period about to commence, interstate travel needs to get underway as soon as possible to get the region back on track.
