Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the local tourism industry should be prepared for a “rush” of tourists to our shores following the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to several thousand tourism, travel and hospitality executives – including LATTE – on a webinar, the Prime Minister said it will be the “Aussie spirit” that will see struggling businesses bounce back.A guest speaker of Tourism Australia’s webinar on Friday afternoon, immediately following a press conference, PM Morrison spoke for several minutes about the current COVID-19 adversity gripping the nation and impacting the sector.

“This is a crisis that the tourism industry could never have imagined and it is causing, I know, incredible hardship all around the country,” he said.

Morrison acknowledged the passion of members across the tourism, travel and hospitality sector for “what you do every day… because you love it”. His comments come from first-hand experience: he was the Managing Director at Tourism Australia for two years, from 2004 to 2006.