Inbound Tourism Affected by Volcanic Ash Cloud

The cloud of volcanic ash which has forced the cancellation of flights to and from key cities in Europe has implications not only for the entire tourism sector, but also for international trade, according to peak national body, Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).

TTF Executive Director, Brett Gale, said the situation is preventing thousands of people from coming to Australia, explaining "April is the end of the peak season for international visitors from Europe, with about 3,000 arrivals every day - more than half of them from the UK.

"European travellers are some of our highest spenders, with the average visitor from the UK spending $2,996 and the average German visitor more than $3,700.

"Ideally, people who had planned to visit Australia will postpone rather than cancel their trips, however tourism businesses will feel the drop in arrivals in the short-term.

"We hope that flights resume soon and we'd encourage people to defer their travel if possible.

"It's important that people whose departure has been delayed by this occurrence are encouraged still to come, although we appreciate that rearranging their affairs may be difficult.

"It's important that Europeans understand that Australia remains a great place to visit in May - the weather is good and thereâs plenty to see and do.

"To do that, it's vital that co-operative tourism marketing campaigns have the flexibility they need to deal with this crisis â and to ramp up promotion after the cloud has dispersed.

"About 36,000 more people from northern Europe come to Australia in April than Australians travel to Europe, so we are missing out on a boost to our tourism balance of trade â something we can ill-afford."

TTF analysis shows that since 2001/02, Australia has gone from being a net exporter of tourism by $4 billion a year to being a net importer by the same amount in the current financial year*.

Gale said airlines have been doing a great job in a difficult situation, concluding "the airlines which service Australia are doing everything they can to accommodate people affected by this.

"It must also be acknowledged that airlines are bearing the brunt of this crisis, not only through passenger movements but also freight, while any business which relies on international airfreight for European imports/exports is also being affected."

20th April 2010 - VOLCANIC ASH CLOUD HITS WORLD SPORT