The biggest challenge facing tourism in Australia is a lack of resources.
The country is currently struggling with an unemployment rate of over 22 per cent and tourism is not generating enough revenue to cover the cost of running the nation’s major centres.
“The key problem is there is no funding available,” Mr Giannapoulos said.
“We have a budget deficit of over $150 billion, but our government is unwilling to spend money on our infrastructure.”
The ABC has found that while the country’s tourism industry has been improving, the quality of life in Australia has not.
The national average for quality of living is just 8 per cent, which is well below the OECD average of 17 per cent.
“There are a lot of barriers to entry, there are a number of issues around getting people out of their comfort zones and the barriers that exist around the quality and quality of people that you can bring into the country,” Mr Gill said.
Tourism Australia chief executive officer Mark Cockerham says the sector needs a more comprehensive approach to the country and that the government must start addressing issues around quality of service.
“It’s about creating opportunities for people to come here and work in the tourism industry, because that’s where the future is, and so that’s what we’re working on,” he said.
Mr Gill says the Government is also looking to increase the number of jobs available for Australians.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about in the past,” he added.
“A lot of our jobs are available in the hospitality industry, in the construction industry and in the manufacturing sector.”
But we’re also looking at making sure that we have the skills that people need to fill those jobs.
“The Australian Government has invested in a number projects in the industry.
In April 2018, the Government announced a $2.2 billion package of investments, including $1.9 billion for the National Tourism Infrastructure Fund.
The Federal Government also announced $100 million to create an innovative tourism technology platform.
In October 2018, Tourism Minister Scott Morrison announced $200 million to develop a new travel industry technology that would provide access to digital technology.
Last month, the Department of Tourism launched a new program called Digital Travel to help Australia’s growing digital economy develop.