| ACA Update 13 Oct 21

WITH Jill Abel, CEO, Australian Cruise Association – Freedom days:
Freedom Day on Mon marked
the end of 106 days in lockdown
for New South Wales, followed
quickly by “Travel Tue”, as
residents started to plan not only
their restaurant bookings but
where they might spend a few
days away.
Similar roadmaps are being
prepared by other states
and territories as vaccination
numbers continue to rise with
predictions that Australia should
be at the 80% vaccination rate
for 16-year-olds and over by
mid-Nov.
Unfortunately, that does not
mean that the lights all switch
back on at that time.
TTF’s latest national research
of 500 businesses suggests that
one in three tourism businesses
are “facing extinction” due to the
continuing uncertainty around
border openings.
Almost a third say the outlook
is bleak for the next 12 months.
Confidence will naturally
increase but it speaks again
to the necessity of welcoming
back cruise lines to Australia for
domestic cruising.
We have been saying for some
time that both metro gateways
and regional communities
will benefit from the jobs and
dollars that cruise delivers to the
tourism economy.
As such, a cruise re-start is vital
with all the health requirements
in place – this also means
that Govt must find a way to
welcome in vaccinated crews.