The Tourism and Transport Industry Forum says the tourist industry deserves the same level of support as the Australian car industry.
The Forum said that tourism employs over 500,000 Australians and is an important economic driver for many regional areas (and The Queen Victoria Market – Ed). In the last decade over $12 billion has been given to support the automotive industry and money is needed to promote Australia in emerging markets like China, India and Indonesia. In addition, Australians who are travelling overseas in record numbers, need to be encouraged to see Australian destinations as well.