Tourism Australia has developed a resource for agents or travellers currently visiting or planning to visit the country in response to the ongoing bushfire situation. The new portal, https://www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts.html, shows which tourism areas have been affected.
Wildfires have been burning across the east coast of the country for a number of months, with an estimated 11 million hectares of land affected. More than 6,000 buildings have been destroyed and 28 people have been killed to date, as well as some one billion animals.
The government of New South Wales declared a state of emergency in December after record-breaking temperatures and prolonged drought exacerbated the bushfires.
The Tourism Australia webpage has been developed in consultation with the Australian states and territories and is being updated daily to ensure industry and travellers have the most accurate and up-to-date information. It also provides links to general bushfire safety information and external resources where required.
Tourism Australia said: “We encourage travellers to use these resources to seek the most recent information should the situation in any region change. Most destinations in Australia remain safe and continue to welcome visitors and all international airports in Australia continue to operate as normal.
“Though the fires are still burning in several regions, we hope these online resources will provide visitors with confidence to travel in Australia, providing the assurance that the majority of our most popular tourism destinations remain untouched by the fires and need support as well.
“When affected communities are ready to once again welcome visitors, tourism will continue to play an important role in supporting their recovery.”
