When COVID-19 saw Australia’s borders closed to international travellers just over six weeks ago, Kimberley tour operator Bryce Humphrey’s business, Outback Horizons, effectively shut too.
Key points:
- Tourism operators say the JobKeeper program is a lifeline for business
- But experts believe the stimulus won’t be enough to keep many afloat
- It’s feared some businesses will fail within three to six months
“They closed the international borders and emails and phone calls started coming in that night … because some of the guests were actually due to fly out that night,” he said.
“They were on their way to the airport from London and that obviously started to set alarm bells off.”
The hurt was compounded just a few weeks later when Western Australia imposed some of the strictest border restrictions in the nation, effectively closing itself off to the rest of the country for the first time in history.
The financial fallout was swift.
“It is just heartbreaking.
“It’s been of no fault of our own and you know, you always have in the back of your mind having a slow season or slow period, but everything just being turned upside down and wiped off the plate … it’s hard to deal with.”
The Federal Government’s JobKeeper package has provided a lifeline that Mr Humphrey said would keep his business afloat for six months.
“It’s going to be tight, it’s going to be tough … and we wil