THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP
Shadow Minister for Emergency Management
Shadow Minister for Tourism
Federal Member for Maranoa
16 June 2026
Tourism Minister turns a blind eye as regional operators call for action
New information released by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has highlighted the deteriorating crisis which continues to impact tourism operators in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Shadow Tourism Minister David Littleproud said the Albanese Government’s $20 million fuel security advertising campaign had taken a sledgehammer to the tourism drive market, particularly in Queensland.
Mr Littleproud said spending $20 million telling people to take their roof racks off their cars and pump their tyres up had created fuel anxiety – where people didn’t trust travelling because they thought they’d run out of fuel, and there has been a human consequence to that being job losses.
The QTIC is the peak representative body and leading advocate for Queensland’s visitor economy, whose membership consists of 65,365 industry businesses. According to the QTIC’s latest Industry Pulse Survey:
- 52% of operators describe their trading position as under pressure, with 16% reporting severe pressure;
- 32% are experiencing significant or critical cash flow difficulties;
- 60% report forward bookings are down more than 10%, while 28% are experiencing declines exceeding 30%; and
- 33% plan to reduce their staffing levels in coming weeks; while 19% are reducing their operational capacity right now.
Responding to the results, the QTIC confirmed that “these impacts are concentrated in reef and marine tourism, regional and remote operators, and drive tourism destinations, businesses with limited capacity to absorb sustained cost and demand shocks”.
It comes after industry data has previously warned that for some areas situated more than two hours distance from capital cities, bookings had collapsed by up to 80% compared with March and April last year.
“For months, the Federal Coalition has been warning the Government about this unfolding disaster which has engulfed tourism operators in regional, rural and remote Australia,” Mr Littleproud said.
“For months, impacted businesses have been reporting widespread public anxiety over fuel use, mass cancellations, staff cuts, cash flow challenges, as well as a collapse in forward bookings.”
“Regional tourism relies on travellers feeling confident to hit the road, to fuel up, and to explore Australia. Therefore, when the Government runs campaigns that frame fuel use as something to be avoided, it sends a message to prospective travellers, who rely on fuel-intensive travel to reach rural destinations.”
The recent drop-off in the domestic drive economy comes amid a challenging time for the tourism industry, which has already gone through consecutive years of disruption – led by repeated natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce shortages, and cost escalations.
Mr Littleproud noted that it was extraordinary that while regional operators hit the wall, the Minister for Tourism – Minister Farrell – had been missing in action.
“Regional tourism is an essential part of the economic and social fabric of so many communities around Australia – and yet this Government has barely lifted a finger to help the sector through this challenging time,” Mr Littleproud said.
“To date, what we’ve seen is silence, inaction, and indifference from the Minister. His neglect of this important portfolio has been appalling.”
Mr Littleproud added he wrote to the Minister for Tourism on 16 April 2026 requesting urgent government assistance for the regional tourism sector but had not received a response.
With regional tourism operators continuing to struggle, Mr Littleproud repeated his call for the Albanese Government to co-design with industry representatives the following measures:
- Immediately review and recalibrate the $20 million National Fuel Security Campaign to remove content that discourages domestic travel and restores public confidence;
- Establish a daily public fuel dashboard so Australians can see supply levels;
- Include tourism operators in the Government’s Economic Resilience Package, so that businesses experiencing material downturns can receive interest-free loans;
- Offer cashflow support, including through Business Activity Statement and Australian Taxation Office deferrals, fee and levy waivers, and regulatory relief; and
- Deliver targeted support for impacted regional, rural and remote operators who are dependent on diesel, generators, freight, or long-distance travel.
ENDS
