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ATV calls on the state government to provide additional aid to affected tourism businesses, and to emerge from lockdown faster.

“The new 25km restriction eliminates the only customers we had left, Victorians,” said John O’Sullivan, owner of walking tour business Depot Adventures.

“First we lost international guests, then interstate visitors. Now we’re being told we can re-open even though our customers can’t get to us,” O’Sullivan said. ATV calls on the government to provide aid for tourism businesses that could not reopen because their customers could not travel to them.

It’s not just tour operators — hospitality venues are condemning this partial reopening. “We’ve already lost $160,000 in this latest lockdown, now with the reopening we are set to lose another $30,000,” pub owner Evan Mahony said.

“If I can reopen, I have to or else I’ll lose my staff, but with only 50 customers allowed in I’ll lose more money being open. It’s sad to say, but without JobKeeper I would be better off staying closed.”

“It was as good as it’s been for 15 months – there was a heap of momentum,” ATV President Alex Hill said. “The last three times we came out of lockdown, it’s taken 4-6 weeks minimum for guests to return to our member businesses. Now we have to start that process again.

ATV renews its call for a clear roadmap out of lockdown. “The last time we had 25km/50 person capacity restriction was Springtime when we had dozens of new cases a day,” Hill said. “Now we’re back to the same restrictions with just one new case.”

Business can’t plan for that. Tourists can’t plan for that. ATV calls for a change.