Newsroom

February 14, 2022

AS Australia’s international border reopens, Kennedy MP, Bob Katter, says any new tourism campaigns aimed at overseas tourists must have a specific focus on attracting backpackers, and the process of getting into Australia must be streamlined.

North Queensland’s economy has traditionally had a major reliance on backpackers as they fill key hospitality, farming and tourism jobs.

Unlike other overseas workers, backpackers also spend most of their wage back into the local community on activities like skydiving, pubs and nightclubs, cafes, scuba diving and white-water rafting.

Mr Katter is seeking a meeting with Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan at parliament this week to persuade him of the importance of targeting the backpacker market, and to ensure that the process of getting working holiday visa holders into the country is fast and rubber stamped. . 

“I have had discussions with five of the leading tourism operators in the Cairns region and there is no doubt in my mind that $1b dollars has been wiped out from the hit to tourism,” he said.

“We are hardly getting a single dollar from tourism now and no backpackers is hurting everyone tremendously.

“We’ve seen 30 years’ of hard work to create the Far North Queensland tourism industry destroyed overnight. At its height the Cairns region attracted Hollywood film stars like Bo Derek & Lee Marvin, Prime Ministers and Premiers, but that’s all been wiped out. The Queensland Government, a bunch of pygmies, and the cowardice of Canberra have a lot to answer for.

“Our economy depends on tourism, sugar cane and other fruit and vegetable farming. So, the injection of money for advertising is imperative. There’s a lot of noise being made but we need a marketing campaign that targets backpackers.

“North Queensland’s natural wonderland sells itself, but let’s remind these people we exist.

“You can fly over a crocodile on a flying-fox as I did in Cairns, dive on the reef off Mission Beach, fall in love with the beauty of Paronella Park, kayak at Babinda, white water raft at Tully, chase waterfalls on the Tablelands, or party at Micky Nasser’s pub in Atherton.”

Paronella Park owner Mark Evans says he’s heard there is a strong demand for Australia’s working holiday visa, with around 30,000 applications approved or pending, but the process of getting in must be streamlined.[1]

“We are desperately short of workers, so are the farmers, and so are the café and pub owners,” he said.

“There’s clearly some demand there, now let’s get the backpackers back in. These people will be coming from all over the world so the Government must make it as easy as possible.”

[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-02-12/farm-labour-shortage-unaffected-by-holiday-visa-surge/100822150