Fears of NT business closures after delayed dry season and proposed visa cuts
Top End tourism operators are calling for the creation of a dedicated fund to help struggling business survive the wet season, as they say looming cuts to holiday workers could push the sector past breaking point.
Businesses in the Northern Territory's Top End tourism sector fear closures due to delayed dry season and proposed visa cuts, according to a recent roundtable with federal officials. Tourism operators warned that small and medium businesses would struggle to survive the upcoming wet season due to rising costs, reduced flights, and natural disaster recovery.
They are urging the government to establish a dedicated resilience fund with tourism vouchers, targeted wage support, coordinated payroll tax relief, tax payment arrangements, interest-free loans, and small grants. The industry is also concerned about the federal government's new immigration policy, which caps working holiday visas and could result in a significant decrease in backpackers entering the Territory.
Tourism Top End CEO Chris Chaffe emphasized that losing these businesses would take years to rebuild, while Tourism Top End executive Samantha Bennett highlighted the severe impacts the visa changes would have on the NT's tourism, agriculture, and hospitality sectors.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
