Published 16:43 IST, January 19th 2020
Australian Government in an attempt to revive the Tourism industry pledges $52 million
The Australian government has announced $52 million to the states ravaged by bushfires in an attempt to revive the tourism industry in areas ravaged by bushfire
The Australian Government has recently decided to pledge $52 million to help revive the tourism industry in the aftermath of the devastating bushfires. A lot of the bushfires were only recently brought under the control after the fires scorched an area which is the rough;y the size of Germany.
Attempts to revive the Tourism industry
Heavy Rains in Australia that started this week has greatly helped to dampen the effects of the fire. In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the federal government's response to the bushfires is comprehensive and unprecedented. 29 people have been killed by violent bushfires and millions of animals have also perished.
According to the Australian Tourism Industry Council, the damage to the tourism industry already amounts A$1 billion and by the end of 2020, the damage fires will have cost Australia A$4.5 billion.
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has claimed this current amount to just be an 'initial package' and that more funds may be further allocated in the future. For Australia, tourism accounts for almost 3 per cent of the country's annual economic output.
The states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland were worst hit by the bushfires and are now tackling an unprecedented amount of rain and thunderstorms. According to reports, there are still 69 bushfires that active in New South Wales and one-third of them are still uncontained.
Flash Floods
The severe rains have caused major highways in Queensland to close down while New South Wales has been experiencing power cuts. According to the Bureau of Meteorology in Queensland, while the heavy rainfall has somewhat subsided, the showers and thunderstorms will persist through the weekend.
The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued relevant warnings for the area that are expected to encounter rain and thunderstorms. The NSW fire service stated that the showers would help contain the bushfires that are still burning but they added that there are some fires and foregrounds that have not seen any rain.
Even with flash floods in some areas, the bushfire crisis has not been resolved. On Saturday itself emergency services in Victoria announced evacuation order to French Island due to bushfires, the island only has a population of about 100 people.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 16:43 IST, January 19th 2020