Chinese travel ban another blow to the Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley tourism took a major hit over the peak Christmas New Year period from the bushfire crisis that impacted the area. According to an article in the Cessnock Advertiser the Industry lost $42 million due to the Bushfire Crisis.

Accommodation providers, recreational activity providers and grape growers who have smoke tainted grapes have been hit the hardest.

Yesterday the Australian Government has announced a travel ban on all Chinese tourist coming from mainland China.

This means accommodation providers, cellar doors, restaurants and recreational providers will take another hit missing out on the Chinese tourists who have the potential to spend big whilst in the Hunter Valley.

Whilst most people will welcome the ban in a bid to stop a major outbreak of the coronavirus in Australia, we just don’t know how much more the tourism industry can take in the Hunter Valley.

According to an article in the Newcastle Herald 2.1 percent of the 1.4 Million Chinese visitors come to the Hunter Valley which is around 30,000 visitors to region each year, experts say a vaccine is likely to take 6 to 12 months develop and longer to be safely tested on Humans.

The travel ban will stay in place until the threat of the virus is no longer a threat to Australians. Which will be at least 6 to 12 months in a best-case scenario.