Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Noosa is a fantastic place to have a holiday, but travel agents in Noosa and the broader Wide Bay have been devastated by the border closures and by flight, cruise and tour cancellations caused by COVID-19. Travel agents' businesses rely on selling flights, cruises and accommodation to generate the commissions they need to operate, but COVID-19 has been catastrophic, completely changing how travel agents do business. With nothing to sell, they don't have money coming through the door. Instead, travel agents are processing refunds and credits and not earning the money they need to make a living and pay staff and other overheads. I recently met with Shane and Carolyn Nelson, Melinda Gregor, Natalie Cherry and Clare Leak, who explained the damaging impact of COVID-19 on their businesses. The travel industry was the first to be hit by the pandemic and will be the last to recover, so there is a clear case for special assistance to be provided to the industry, which is made up of mum-and-dad operators, small businesses and franchise owners. I have written to the minister for tourism and am looking forward to his response.