The Australia Bushfires is a phenomenon that has the world watching the flames. With the constant coverage of the fires, your clients with trips planned to the destination might be hesitant to travel. However, if you keep in contact communication with them, you can assure them that the fires, though widespread and affecting many areas, are not affecting all areas. There are still many destinations that are completely safe to travel. And, what Australia needs right now, is for travelers to keep traveling and the tourism dollars to help the communities that have been affected and their surrounding areas.
Tourism Australia states in press materials that, “Now, more than ever, clear, accurate and consistent messaging is vital to ensuring visitors know that the best thing they can do is to plan a holiday in Australia.”
In order to help you better communicate with clients, and keep travelers informed, the destination has created a page to detail how the tourism industry can support the destination by rescheduling clients heading to affected areas, rather than canceling. Another option is booking them to an alternative destination within the country that has not been affected by the bushfires at all. There is now an interactive map to help you show your clients that most parts of Australia continue to be unaffected by the bushfires, while also keeping tabs on the areas that are affected.
According to Tourism Australia, more than 660,000 people in Australia depend on tourism for their livelihoods—that’s over 5.2 percent of the nation’s workforce. To help Australia, continue booking travel to the region.
On this page you can also find a chart by region and city with a breakdown on how the bushfires have affected it or not, or if travelers will be affected by too much smoke in a particular area. If your client’s current Australian travel plans are affected by the bushfires, suggest an alternate safe destination. Though some destinations have been affected by the bushfires, many have not and are completely safe for travel. A visit to an unaffected area will help keep Australia’s tourism industry going.
Other than checking back on australia.com for information, keep in contact with those on the ground—your accommodation provider and tourism operators—for advice on the local conditions and how your clients can best experience the destination while remaining safe.
For those interested in more information, Australian Wildlife Journeys is hosting a webinar on Jan. 22 with three of the most impacted members: Craig Wickham from Exceptional Kangaroo Island, Janine Duffy from Echidna Walkabout, and Brad Lowe from Boutique Wildlife Tours. The webinar will be recorded, and Tourism Australia will share the link once it’s available.
For more information on the bushfires’ locations, visit tourism-australia-bushfire-map.alantgeo.com.au.
If you, or your clients, want to support Australia with a donation, here are the best places to consider. Also, check out “Latest on Australia Fires,” for more information.
