7 April 2006

Brendan and Tourism Funding - When will it ever be enough?

| johnboy
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Earlier in the week Brendan Smyth put out his regular media release calling for more funding for the Tourism Industry. This time justified by an increase in numbers.

a 6% growth in domestic overnight visitation in 2005 to the ACT compared to a 6% slump nationally was welcome news and highlighted the importance of maintaining funding to the tourism sector

Which begs the question; At what point will we stop giving publc money to this private industry?

Brendan keeps telling us that hospitals are overcrowded, roads need fixing, schools need equipment, the mentally ill need care. And yet his constant refrain, come fair weather or foul, is to instead give the money to an industry which, while it does have some small players, is mostly operated by companies and individuals with assets the rest of us can only dream of.

I can think of many uncharitable reasons why Brendan might persist with this obsession. Anyone out there want to leap to his defence?

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Tourism is a money spinner though. So theoretically money spent is a good investment. And there are a lot of smaller players – B+Bs, restaurants, the dinosaur museum, Cockington Green, the Zoo, the Balloon ride companies, as well as smaller govt agencies which are not well funded – Questacon, Film Archive, etc.

You can’t leap to Brendan’s defence – if you jump you’d go over the top oif the leprechaun….

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