Seventy per cent of operators responding to an ATEC survey reported an impact due to the significant travel disruption of major Middle Eastern aviation hubs suspending normal operations.
The inbound tourism focussed council has undertaken the survey following the beginning of the conflict at the end of February.
Tourism players noted cancellations, postponements and concern from travellers as a result of the conflict, with the majority of operators – 65 per cent – saying travellers from the UK and Europe were the primary source of the disruption.
“UK/Europe is where we are seeing the most immediate impact from, reflecting the importance of Gulf carrier connections for long haul travel to Australia,” said ATEC managing director Peter Shelley.
Half of respondents to ATEC’s survey said their losses due to the travel disruption were less than $50,000 but some businesses have identified losses exceeding half a million dollars.
“Encouragingly, around three quarters of inbound operators report suppliers are working with them on flexibility around cancellation fees, which is helping share the burden across the tourism supply chain,” said Shelley.
“Clearly the situation remains fluid and impacts will depend heavily on airline operations and traveller confidence in the coming weeks.
“At this stage it is too early to draw firm conclusions, but the survey highlights how quickly global geopolitical events can affect Australia’s inbound visitor economy.”
