Tourism Ministers gather to support industry growth
Today I will meet with State and Territory Tourism Ministers in Hobart to advance our combined support for Australia's tourism industry.
The Tourism Ministers' Meeting will consider measures designed to reach the target of $140 billion in overnight expenditure by the year 2020.
Ministers will consider:
- making the most of the Australia-China Year of Tourism in 2017, including a tourism trade mission to China I propose to lead next year;
- a Regional Tourism Infrastructure Investment Attraction Strategy to help attract foreign direct investment into regional tourism product; and
- an Investment and Regulatory Reform Report Card to track the progress of each State and Territory in cutting red tape and removing barriers to investment in tourism infrastructure.
The Tourism Ministers' Meeting, held twice a year, is the key mechanism for engagement between the Australian Government and State and Territory governments on tourism issues.
The Turnbull Government is delivering a record $639 million in funding to Tourism Australia to promote Australia overseas. We are focused on expanding international aviation capacity, addressing labour and skills shortages, improving infrastructure and implementing visa reform.