Yet another event has fallen victim to the Coronovirus outbreak in Australia. In a statement on Wednesday 18 March, Tourism Australia confirmed that it is cancelling its flagship trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE)-2020 due to take place in Melbourne in May. The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) is Australia’s largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business event.
The decision follows the announcement by Australia’s Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer no longer permitting non-essential organised events of more than 100 people, in addition to recently introduced travel restrictions requiring that everyone arriving into Australia must self-isolate for 14 days.
Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said: “Whilst the decision to cancel this year’s ATE is deeply disappointing, the health and welfare of attendees is our primary concern. We have made the decision to cancel ATE20 due to the situation unfolding globally and the effect it is having on travel. We will be providing a full refund of registration fees to all buyer and seller delegates,” Ms Harrison said.
Tourism Australia continues to review all future events on an ongoing basis.
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