Shadow Minister for Tourism Bob Baldwin has criticised the PM’s carbon tax describing it is “an attack on the tourism industry”.

Mr Baldwin voiced his concern that the tax would affect regions which rely on tourism for survival following the release of a Tourism Research Australia report which highlighted the top 20 regions dependent on tourism expenditure.

“It [the carbon tax] will push up the cost of an Australian holiday and weaken our competitiveness in the domestic and international tourism markets,” Mr Baldwin said.

“Regions such as the Gold Coast, Tropical North Queensland, Sunshine Coast, NSW Mid North Coast and NSW Northern Rivers have a very high reliance on the tourism sector and they will suffer the most as a result of Labor’s carbon tax.”

The Shadow Minister added that the tax combined with the cut to Tourism Australia funding, increase in visa fees plus the 24 percent rise in tourist departure tax “will dampen the growth of tourism in our regions”.

“Labor is right to say that tourism is the lifeblood of many regional areas but they are wrong to attack this lifeblood with new taxes and cuts to tourism funding.”

Mr Baldwin concluded that the Coalition’s tourism policy includes a $100 million increase in tourism funding as well as a pledge to provide regional tourism groups with domestic tourism development grants. 

Click here for more information on the report.