Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tourism is the Gold Coast’s lifeblood. The flow-through effect from tourism touches almost every other industry on the Gold Coast and, therefore, most of its workers and families. After coal, tourism is the largest export earner for Queensland and contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy. Throughout Queensland, 122,000 people are employed in tourism businesses, with an additional 100,000 people working in businesses supported by the money flowing from tourism. These include businesses such as restaurants, newsagents and a whole range of small to medium enterprises. Eighty-five per cent of tourism businesses in Queensland are small businesses, businesses to which cashflow is so important and where an unforseen disaster can devastate. Without doubt, tourism is vitally important to Queensland and especially the Gold Coast, and the industry now needs our support more than ever.

The Gold Coast has had a relatively fortunate few months with respect to the weather in comparison to much of our great state. Our capital, Brisbane, and areas to the west, the Lockyer Valley through to Toowoomba, were decimated by floods. Our northern neighbours suffered from the most powerful cyclone in living memory. Lives were lost, businesses were destroyed and homes were damaged, and many remain homeless or are mourning the loss of loved ones. We have all seen the images: the residents with tears in their eyes, the devastated main streets, the destroyed homes.

As the flood and cyclone images were beamed across the world, the impact on the Gold Coast was certainly felt as many holiday makers cancelled their visits to the Gold Coast. While we on the Gold Coast could look up from the shocking images on our TV and see a blue sky and reasonably dry ground, our potential visitors could not and many made the decision to keep on the safe side, cancel their holiday plans for the Gold Coast and either stay at home or holiday somewhere else—in many instances to take their holiday overseas. Later in January, as viewers and listeners heard Yasi described as ‘the most catastrophic storm ever’, local tourism operators lost some of their forward bookings for 2011. The average international visitor does not necessarily comprehend the size of Australia or Queensland. Indeed, CNN was so confused by the storms that it marked Tasmania as Queensland on an on-screen graphic at one stage. Whilst that was quickly corrected, it does demonstrate that understanding of our geography is not a given for some of our potential customers—people on the other side of the world.

Some potential visitors with perhaps more local knowledge made an assumption that as the Gold Coast was so close to Brisbane it too had been inundated with water. This was of course not helped by references to ‘the flood in Queensland’ and ‘the cyclone in Queensland’ without an acknowledgement of the size of our state. Social networks distributed pictures of Yasi superimposed on a satellite image of the United States, the tropical cyclone covering the nation and touching each coast. Videos of the impact of the flood and the cyclone went viral upon minutes of their upload. The BBC ran with a headline ‘Australia: Cyclone Yasi roars into Queensland coast’. With headlines like that, you can understand why readers could quite rightly come to the conclusion that the entire Queensland coast was impacted, and certainly it would not be a stretch to believe that a city with the word ‘coast’ comprising part of its name could be one of the areas affected.

Estimates of damage to the tourism industry by the floods and Yasi are impossible to estimate at this stage. Much depends on the psychology of individuals as they prepare to travel. What is certain, however, is that the damage will be significant and have lasting effects. As it is, 2009, as a result of the global financial crisis, was one of the worst years in living memory for local tourism. The year 2011 started with much positivity for the industry. Gains were made throughout 2010 and predictions were that 2011 was going to be a strong year. But the natural disasters have changed that outlook.

As Australians with compassion for our fellow countrymen we can do our bit. We can encourage our friends and families not just to send essential items or donate money but to visit Queensland. Queenslanders can holiday within Queensland and support Queensland businesses, and encourage overseas and interstate contacts to visit us here. All of Queensland, with its economy so inextricably linked to tourism, needs visitors and with support such as this we will witness a lasting benefit for all Queenslanders.