Page 182 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 May 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Kaine: Can I have an office there, too, Paul?
MR WHALAN: When you are a Minister.
TOURISM
MR DUBY: Like Mr Wood, I also have an interest in tourism matters. My question is directed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister responsible for tourism. I have concern about two aspects. The Chief Minister mentioned promotion of ACT tourism outside the ACT and, secondly, the treatment of tourists when they arrive in Canberra. The tourism industry in submissions to me claims that insufficient funds and resources are allocated to tourist promotion? Is the Government proposing to increase expenditure on tourist promotion? Also, I have noticed that visitors to Canberra often appear lost, and sometimes complain that they are not made to feel fully welcome. What plans are there to redress this situation?
MR WHALAN: The second part of the question is quite interesting. At a recent social function a person arrived late, having been run into at the traffic lights along Commonwealth Avenue. When the person arrived, the person I was standing next to said, "I bet it was a bloody tourist" - with respect to the chamber. It reflected a view which is commonly held in the community, that tourists in our city are a nuisance and that we might be far better off without them. I am sure that we have all experienced that attitude from time to time among people that we meet in Canberra. It is a regrettable attitude because it fails to realise the importance of tourism as an employment source within our Territory.
The Tourist Bureau is currently planning to upgrade its tourist awareness program, which will be aimed at highlighting to the community the benefits of tourism as an industry and an employer and the opportunities that are available to the local citizens to make visitors to the ACT feel welcome.
On the question of the promotion of tourism, we share Mr Duby's concern that there have been, in the past, insufficient funds available for tourist promotion. It has been regrettable that there has been an attitude on the part of the Commonwealth Government that it was not necessary to promote Canberra through tourism, and that it was self-promoting. I think this chamber would accept that that is not correct.
We are totally committed to improving the resources available to the Tourist Bureau and in that context we will honour our election commitment. The level of these funds is a matter for consideration, however, in the budgetary context. We will have to approach that fairly carefully,
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .