THE Tourism Council of WA has strongly criticised last
week’s State Budget.
Funding to the WA Tourism Commission in this budget is down
slightly, to $39.38 million from $39.48 million last year.
But Tourism Council of WA president Ron Buckey said Geoff
Gallop’s comments that tourism was the “second economic front” was little more
than rhetoric given the budget figures.
The industry has been lobbying the Government for a
significant financial boost for several years.
It is estimated that, in 2001-02, the WA tourism industry
directly accounted for $2.2 billion (3.5 per cent) of WA’s Gross State Product.
“The net effect of the Government’s failure of
responsibility to the tourism industry will be a reduction in the level and
quality of marketing to attract more visitors to Western Australia,” Mr Buckey
said.
“There will be an inevitable reduction in visitor numbers
resulting in a reduction in GDP, less revenue to treasury and a subsequent rise
in taxes and charges to every householder to make up the shortfall.”
The WA tourism industry has struggled with several setbacks
in recent years, including SARS, the Bali bombings, war in Iraq and the
collapse of Ansett.
