The future of the Survey of Tourist Accommodation remains in doubt after it was revealed at Senate Estimates last night that Minister Ciobo has failed to make any progress in determining its funding.
Austrade department officials confirmed that ‘a final position is now being considered by Government.’
However this is nearly identical to the response provided following the February Senate Estimates this year where, the matter was 'under consideration by Governments'.
The Survey of Tourist Accommodation is heavily relied upon by the tourism sector and considered a valuable resource.
It provides information on accommodation across Australia, including occupancy rates, room rates and revenue, as well as a measure of accommodation supply for destinations across the nation.
Indeed in a 2015 submission to the Productivity Commission the Tourism and Transport Forum said that the STA ‘has delivered a comprehensive picture of Australia’s accommodation sector performance since 1998 that has been critical to enabling informed tourism investment decisions.’
At last night’s Senate Estimates, Mr O’Sullivan, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, said that, ‘I think any data source that helps us track the progress of 2020 is a valuable one.’
Given that we are now half way through 2017, Minister Ciobo must waste no further time and commit to producing the Survey of Tourist Accommodation.
This Government has shown nothing but contempt for the tourism sector, failing to even release a tourism policy at the last election.
In this Budget alone, it has cut Tourism Australia’s budget by $35 million over the forward years and increased visa application charges.
The fact is that tourism is one of Australia’s super-growth sectors.
Communities around Australia rely on tourism for their economies, and so too does the nation.
This sector deserves real investment so that it can continue to play a leading role in the national economy.
FRIDAY, 2 JUNE 2017