Victorian tourism leaders urge state government to ease restrictions

To combat this, leading representatives of Victoria's tourism industry launched a proposal to reopen the state's visitor economy using safe and staged processes that have worked in other states.

Industry leaders have undertaken a detailed review of gradual reopenings underway in other states and have put forward an alternative roadmap for Victoria as they believe it is clear the state could not reach the benchmarks the Andrews Government set in its roadmap.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism general manager Liz Price is supportive of a "safe" return to COVID normal.

"GORRT is supportive of the easing of restrictions where the evidence suggests it can be done in a COVIDSafe manner and providing businesses with the clarity on how they can operate in a COVIDSafe way to ensure their survival," Ms Price said.

"The prolonged closure of businesses has had a devastating impact on the industry but many businesses are optimistic that the easing of restrictions will deliver a good summer.

"Some businesses are seeing renewed visitation from regional Victoria which has been positive and 26 per cent of all recent day trip visitation to the region originated from within the Great Ocean Road region.

"We are encouraging locals to get out and explore their own backyard as increased local patronage is supporting the survival and recovery of many of our businesses.

"Removal of the Melbourne lockdown will be critical for summer trade."

The industry's proposed framework, subject to the one person per four square metre rule and COVIDSafe Plans, for the next easing of restrictions suggest:

Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief executive Felicia Mariani said the industry has been under extreme pressure since December 2019.

"We have been bleeding jobs and revenue since the bushfires," she said.

"Some Victorian businesses had a chance to reopen after the first lockdown, but this time around we were told no, and we understood that when case numbers were sky high.

"However, it has been incredibly hard for us to see New South Wales accommodation, business events, attractions and dining opening when they have similar daily case numbers to those we are seeing now in Victoria.

"It's time for the Victorian Government to change gear and focus on measures that will ensure safety while businesses operate because extending the shutdown cannot be a permanent solution to COVID-19."

Victoria's tourism industry leaders are also calling on the Victorian Government to remove the target of a rolling 14-day average of five new cases a day, lift travel restrictions by October 30 and allow visitor economy businesses to reopen with strict conditions.

The industry leaders believe if the state government reviews quotients and caps monthly and adjusts accordingly there will be a clear path to COVID-normal for businesses.

Ms Mariani said the industry was ready to start small and build slowly.

"The industry is singularly focused on its obligations to the communities in which it operates, and operators have invested enormous effort in preparing their COVIDSafe Plans and ensuring all practices and processes are in place as directed by government," she said.

The industry position was developed by Victoria Tourism Industry Council, the Accommodation Association of Australia, Australian Camps Association, Meetings and Events Australia, Tourism Accommodation Australia (Vic), and the Victorian Caravan Parks Association, along with various Regional Tourism Boards from across the state.

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