Even as domestic tourism increases, the industry faces significant workforce challenges.“We have an aging population, and the demand for staff across the tourism sector continues to rise,” Palmer explains. Workforce shortages are a longstanding issue in Australia, exacerbated by the pandemic. Tourism is not alone in facing this challenge; industries like healthcare and education struggle to find enough staff to meet growing demand. Another challenge has been the recovery of international air travel. While Australia now has the same number of flights as before the pandemic, passenger numbers have yet to recover fully, especially from key markets like China. “China was our biggest tourism market before COVID, but it was also the last country to reopen, so it’s taking time for numbers to build back up,” Palmer explains. In contrast, other markets, like Vietnam, have bounced back much more quickly, with Vietnamese travel to 92 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 06, ISSUE 10
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