Ep 46: “It Will Take Upwards of 5 Years to Recover,” with Simon Westaway, Australian Tourism Industry Council

It’s been a torrid year for travel and tourism in Australia. This week, Gary and Hannah chat with Simon Westaway, Executive Director of the Australian Tourism Industry Council.

In a candid and insightful interview, Simon discusses a broad sweep of inbound, outbound and domestic travel issues. From the ‘Black Summer’ bushfire season, Australia quickly encountered COVID-19 with the first infection in late January.

The show addresses Australia’s key 2020 developments, including the Ruby Princess, border bans, hotel quarantine outbreaks, state border politics and domestic travel in the summer season.

With national borders closed until at least March 2021, we look ahead to the vaccine rollout, potential travel bubbles and selected cohorts that might feature in a phased recovery. Key markets, such as China, New Zealand and South East Asia, also merit a mention. Australians are famously adventurous travellers, and Simon also looks to some high-priority destinations once they are able to take overseas trips again.