Tourism Australia looks to reassure visitors with information on bushfire impacts

January 10, 2020

Safety / Tourism /

Aiming to help visitors travelling to Australia during the current season of bushfires, Tourism Australia has issued a roundup of safety advice and alerts, along with regional links to latest information.

With global media reports of the extensive bushfires impacting potential visitors percepetions of Australia, the information is intended to help visitors travelling during the current season of bushfires.

In its advice, Tourism Australia explains "bushfires are currently affecting some parts of Australia.

“Like all Australians, our hearts go out to the families and communities who are impacted by the bushfires. Our gratitude for the frontline services facing the fires head on cannot be expressed deeply enough.”

Providing advice on conditions it advises:

Staying up to date
We encourage all travellers visiting Australia to seek the most up-to-date information for their planned itinerary prior to departure, and remain informed about changing conditions while in Australia.

Speak with your travel agent, accommodation provider, tourism operators and local Visitor Information Centres for advice about local conditions and how best to experience Australia’s tourism destinations.

Will the bushfires affect my trip?
Most destinations in Australia remain safe and continue to welcome visitors. All international airports in Australia are operating as normal.

It is more important than ever to support Australian tourism providers, whether in unaffected regions or those that will recover from these bushfires in the months and years to come. The best way to support Australia, Australian communities, and the tourism sector is to keep visiting. If you cannot travel to an affected area due to bushfires, one of the many ways to help includes rescheduling instead of cancelling a planned trip to support the communities in the coming months.

Which Australian destinations are impacted?
Updated as at 10th January 2020
Below is a summary of some of our most popular destinations for international travellers, and whether they have been impacted by the current bushfires or are safe to visit. The list will be updated regularly, however conditions can change quickly, and travellers should seek the most up to date information from regional websites.

This is not a complete list of affected areas, so if you are travelling outside these areas, please refer to our bushfire safety page for links to regional sites.

ACT

Destination	Impacted or not impacted
Canberra	Impacted by smoke haze – go to ACT Government and Visit Canberra for more information.

NSW

Destination	Impacted or not impacted
Blue Mountains	Partially impacted – go to NSW RFS and Visit NSW for more information.
Hunter Valley	Not impacted
North Coast	Not impacted
South Coast	Impacted – go to NSW Rural Fire Service and Visit NSW for more information.
Sydney	Impacted by smoke haze - go to NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for current forecasts on air quality.

South Australia

Destination	Impacted or not impacted
Adelaide and Surrounds	Not impacted
Kangaroo Island	Impacted – go to SA County Fire Service and South Australian Tourism Commission for more information.

Victoria

Destination	Impacted or not impacted
East Gippsland	Impacted - go to Vic Emergency for more information
Great Ocean Road	Not impacted
Melbourne	Not impacted
Phillip Island	Not impacted
Upper Murray (east of Wodonga)	Impacted - go to Vic Emergency for more information
Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges	Not impacted

Western Australia

Destination	Impacted or not impacted
Coral Coast (including Ningaloo Reef)	Not impacted
Australia’s Golden Outback (including the Nullarbor)	Impacted – go to Emergency WA and Main Roads Western Australia for more information.
South West (including Margaret River)	Not impacted
North West (including Broome)	Not impacted
Perth	Not impacted

Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are reported as not being impacted by the bushfires.

For more information go to www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts.html

9th January 2020 - Bushfires have massive impact on Australian tourism industry

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8th January 2020 - Sydney Festival show cancelled due to bushfires and poor air quality

7th January 2020 - Bushfires destroy Selwyn Snow Resort

6th January 2020 - TEG to stage benefit concert for bushfire relief at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium

6th January 2020 - Victorian Government announces new dedicated agency to guide bushfire recovery

5th January 2020 - Bushfires push numerous Australian animal species towards extinction

4th January 2020 - Bushfire crisis sees Victorian alpine resorts among areas declared state of disaster

4th January 2020 - VTIC provides advice for businesses impacted by the bushfires

3rd January 2020 - Bushfires predicted to have massive financial impact on Australian tourism industry

2nd January 2020 - Thousands urged to flee NSW South Coast ahead of horror fire weekend

31st December 2019 - Heroic effort by zookeepers saves Mogo Wildlife Park from devastating bushfires

30th December 2019 - Total fire ban and poor air quality sees cancellation of Canberra’s New Year’s Eve fireworks

29th December 2019 - Thousands told to leave fire threat zone in east Gippsland

28th December 2019 - New Year’s Eve fireworks to go ahead in Sydney despite petition calling for cancellation

28th December 2019 - Tourists told to reconsider travel plans to bushfire affected NSW South Coast

21st December 2019 - Smoke from bushfires forces abandonment of Big Bash League match in Canberra

21st December 2019 - $6 million funding for Queensland tourist destinations impacted by bushfires

20th December 2019 - Bushfires see luxury NSW Blue Mountains resort suspend arrivals

30th October 2019 - Tourism Australia launches new campaign ‘Come Live our Philausophy’

13th September 2019 - Tourism Australia confirms Phillipa Harrison as new Managing Director

6th May 2019 - Staff shake up at Tourism Australia

16th January 2017 - Perception of safety and security boost Australia’s international tourism growth

16th January 2014 - Climate Council: Australian heatwaves more frequent, hotter and longer

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