Shadow Minister Media Releases
Tourism Industry Needs Urgent Help In NSW ( 05/03/2008)
Shadow Minister for Tourism, Don Page MP, said today that the NSW Minister for Tourism must take urgent action to reverse the downturn in the Tourism industry in NSW.
“The tourism industry in NSW has been in a state of decline since the 2000 Sydney Olympics and this Labor Government have done nothing to try to reverse the trend,” Mr Page said.
“There have been numerous industry experts who have been trying to bring the problem to the Government’s attention, but no-one in Government is listening,” he said.
A report released in August 2007 by the Tourism Business Alliance stated that:
‘Since 2000-01, the New South Wales Government has failed to properly support and encourage the promotion and development of tourism and the tourism industry in NSW.’
“Other states and territories have capitalised on the Iemma Government dropping the ball” Mr Page said
While NSW has dropped their tourism budget in real terms by 11% over the last 8 years, Victoria has increased its budget by 44%.
“This is directly reflected in the number of visitors to NSW and the expenditure by visitors to NSW, which have both fallen significantly,” Mr Page said.
The number of visitors to NSW has fallen from 33million in 2000 to 27million in 2006 and the expenditure by each visitor has fallen by 14% over the same period.
“These numbers should have substantially increased since the Sydney Olympics to capitalise on the cost of infrastructure and promotion that occurred in the lead up to and during the Games.
“Instead Sydney has been in a holding pattern experiencing a downturn in tourism since 2000.
“Tourism and small business operators in NSW are hurting and the Iemma Government is doing nothing to address the difficulties they are facing.
“I call on the Government to increase their tourism marketing budget by $20million per year above the current level with the aim of increasing NSW Tourism’s current market share.
“It is also imperative that the NSW Government facilitates the promotion and development of regional tourism in NSW,” Mr Page said.
“Tourism in NSW is a $23billion industry but it is really struggling at the moment due to neglect by the NSW Government,” Mr Page said.
