Australia tourism hit by terror

Australia tourism hit by terror

SYDNEY, Australia (AP): The terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington plus the demise of Australia's second largest airline
will take a heavy toll on Australia's lucrative tourism market,
authorities said Monday.

Australia's Tourism Forecasting Council last month slashed its
projection for international arrival figures down to a 4.5
percent growth rate from 8.3 percent growth due to the slowing
global economy.

But after the terrorist strikes on the World Trade Center in
New York and the Pentagon last Tuesday and the collapse last
Friday of Australia's second largest domestic airline, Australian
Tourist Commission managing director Ken Boundy said even that
revised target would be hard to meet.

In the 12 months to last July, Australia had 5 million visits
from international tourist. The Sydney Olympics were staged
during that period.

"We will be doing well to maintain these numbers in the 12
months," said Boundy, who declined to speculate on the financial
implications for the tourism market.

"We still predict that in the next 10 to 15 years tourism will
be the number one or number two industry in Australia," he said.

Domestic media reported that Australia could face a zero or
even negative growth for the next 12 months, costing an estimated
A$1.7 billion (US$873 million) in lost earnings.

The ATC, the government's overseas tourism marketing arm,
predicted the number of travelers from the United States will
plunge due to concerns about flying.

Ansett, Australia's second largest carrier, which collapsed
last Friday amid mounting debts, brought only four percent of
visitors into Australia but as part of the Star Alliance network,
it was a major player in domestic connections.