Warm welcome for winter tourism campaign

Industry has warmly welcomed a major new tourism campaign by the ACT Government to boost visitor numbers and support the accommodation sector during winter, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) ACT Branch said today.

The Australian Capital Tourism campaign involves a partnership with accommodation and flight booking provider Wotif.com to drive visitors to Canberra during winter in response to the Federal Parliament shutdown in the lead up to September’s election.

AHA ACT General Manager Brad Watts said the hospitality and tourism industry – especially accommodation hotels affected by the downturn – welcomed the new campaign after an AHA ACT survey found the industry was facing a $6 million revenue shortfall over winter.

Key findings of the AHA ACT survey – conducted on large, medium and small hotel members in February 2013 – included:

• An average of more than $1 million a week will be lost in revenue for accommodation hotels
• More than $1 million will be lost in flow-on effects to local restaurants, cafes and licensed venues.

“The AHA ACT member survey found Canberra’s accommodation hotels – as well as local licensed venues and restaurants – face a very bleak outlook over winter,” Mr Watts said.

“But this campaign, combined with the National Gallery of Australia’s new blockbuster exhibition Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master, will certainly help to warm industry’s spirits.”

Mr Watts said industry has been urgently calling for ACT Government support for the hotel and hospitality sector after releasing the survey that showed Canberra’s hospitality and tourism sector would lose more than $6 million in revenue due to the longer than usual Parliamentary shutdown for the election.

“Accommodation hotels – and hospitality businesses across Canberra – heavily rely on income from Parliament sitting weeks.   Let’s hope this major new accommodation and tourism campaign with Wotif.com can help industry thrive until spring,” Mr Watts said.

Mr Watts said hosting major events and exhibitions in Canberra was a key driver to the success of the industry – which contributes more than $1.3 billion to local economy and employs more than 30,000 people.

“Industry has been looking forward to the NGA’s Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master exhibition that runs throughout winter – the first time a blockbuster has been held during the winter period, as part of Canberra’s Centenary celebrations,” Mr Watts said.

Source: Australian Hotels Association ACT, 3 June 2013