Call for next Queensland Government to make the most of major tourism opportunities

In the run up to the Queensland State election, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has stated its belief that the next Queensland Government must make the most of major tourism opportunities in order to accelerate employment figures and business prosperity.

QTIC Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind sees that employment and investment in tourism will contribute to a surge Queensland’s prosperity.

Gschwind explains “tourism contributes $23 billion to the state’s economy and more than 241,000 Queenslanders are directly and indirectly employed within the tourism industry, one in 10 Queenslanders are already working within the state’s tourism industry and we think more tourism jobs can be created, significantly assisting other state priorities.”

Tourism is the second largest export earner for Queensland and already delivers one in every 12 dollars to the state’s economy through tourism spending.

Gschwind added “QTIC expects the next State Government to re-commit to work with tourism businesses to accelerate the momentum gained from the hard work achieved in recent years.

“We want to see continuity in working towards the 2020 tourism targets and the 20 year plan. We don’t want these changed. We’ve made good progress and we need to stick with this course."

QTIC believes it is critical for Queensland to sustain its natural assets and pull out all the stops to protect and preserve the State’s special destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef.

He concluded “we want to see the government provide certainty and reassurance to industry and communities that environmental management and protection policies also reflect tourism and residents interests.”

QTIC is a private sector, membership-based organisation representing the interests of the tourism and hospitality industry across Queensland.

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