ASIA PACIFIC TODAY. Tourism: Far North Queensland & Las Vegas.Tax & Blake Christian

Tourism: Far North Queensland & Kevin Byrne, Kirk Clyatt & Las Vegas. Biden's Tax & Blake Christian.

Today we discuss two of the great tourist destinations, Las Vegas and Far North Queensland. Blake Christian says for Americans, there may be a little less money to spend because of of Biden's tax hikes.

How are tourist destinations that are highly dependent on international visitors travelling, more than 12 months after the Pandemic arrived?

The head of Enterprise North, Kevin Byrne believes up to a quarter of Far North tourism businesses will be shut down within 12 months despite the federal government’s rescue package and hopeful looming return of international flights.

Kevin Byrne is Executive Director of Enterprise North, a North Queensland organisation that fosters economic growth in this region of Australia. Kevin Byrne has enjoyed a successful forty-year career across government, military and business.

He was Mayor of Cairns for eleven years during which time the city positioned itself as the international gateway to Northern Australia. Kevin is a passionate advocate for Northern Australia talks to us about the impact of intermittent border closures.

Kirk Clyatt has witnessed Las Vegas change from a glittering metropolis to a shadow of itself during the wave of covid restrictions.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the number of visitors to Las Vegas dropped sharply in 2020 over the previous year. In 2020, Las Vegas recorded roughly 19 million visitors, whereas it attracted over 42 million people in 2019.

Joe Biden has been out and about selling the massive $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan. But what about the inevitable tax hikes and how will it affect a recovering economy? Blake Christian has more...

Asia Pacific Today, March 22, 2021