Tourism funding boost to help cyclone-hit towns recover
Tourism operators devastated by one of Australia’s most notable cyclones will receive grants to help rebuild.
Businesses in northwestern Western Australia are still reeling from the devastation left behind by Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which struck days before the peak of the Easter tourist season.
The weather system caused flooding, town closures, homes collapse and marine life devastated on the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef in WA’s Gascoyne region.
Local people are working hard to get towns like Exmouth, one of those hardest hit by Narelle, back up and running for tourists.
One-off aid payments will be made to eligible tourism operators as part of the $1.45 million tourism support package announced by the Cook government on Sunday.
Payments of $10,000 and $20,000 will be available for tour operators, experiences and attractions and accommodation providers affected by access closures in the Shires of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Ashburton and the Upper Gascoyne.
The package will include a 50 percent discount on select tours and experiences to encourage visitors to the region.
WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said tourism was vital to the local economy for communities on the Coral Coast and remained one of the region’s largest employers.
“We encourage all Western Australians to support tourism businesses by visiting the region and helping this iconic part of the state get back to doing what it does best, providing an incredible tourism experience,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Narelle, which hit northern Queensland before moving west across the NT and reforming in Western Australia, is the third storm in recorded history to make landfall as a hurricane in three Australian territories, after Ingrid (2005) and Steve (2000).
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