ATEC part of new Tourism Restart Taskforce to strengthen industry COVID-19 response

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) is pleased to be part of the newly created Tourism Restart Taskforce established by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

ATEC Chair, Denis Pierce and Jacqui Walshe Managing Director of The Walshe Group and ATEC board member, will join leaders from across the sector to co-ordinate and strengthen the industry response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Pierce advises “our tourism and hospitality industry has had a knockout blow causing widespread damage to hundreds of thousands of businesses and livelihoods across the nation.

“This forum provides a vehicle to move our industry through this troubled period as a united voice.”

Walshe said it was important for the industry to be working collectively to find solutions to ensure the survival of the essential operational framework that the industry relies upon.

Walshe adds “all businesses in the tourism economy are struggling with the scale of this impact and many of our tourism businesses are genuinely worried about the survival of their organisation and the potential long-term damage to the whole sector. 

“This taskforce brings together many of our key industry bodies and is an opportunity for cooperation and collaboration in finding the right solutions for all of us to ensure tourism is able to recover its ability to make a genuine and significant contribution to the Australian economy.”

Jacqui Walshe and Denis Pierce join following members of the Taskforce:   

Jeremy Johnson ACCI Board, former Chief Executive Sovereign Hill (Chair)

The Hon. Martin Ferguson, Tourism Accommodation Australia

Bob East, Tourism Australia

Sarina Bratton, Ponant, CLIA

Nikki Govan, Star of Greece, Business SA

Graham (Skroo) Turner, Flight Centre, AFTA

The Hon. Bruce Baird, Business Events Sydney, TTF

Geoff Donaghy Chief Executive, ICC Sydney

John Hart, Australian Chamber – Tourism 

The Taskforce will feed into the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission and the Austrade Tourism Incident Response Coordination group.  Through ACCI it will feed into the Business Liaison Group in Treasury and the Department of Industry recovery group.