Tourism Accommodation Australia said the NSW Government’s lockdown support package was helpful for small business and regional motel members but additional support is needed for large Greater Sydney hotels struggling to survive.

TAA NSW CEO Michael Johnson said he welcomed support for small business and those in the regions who have missed out on July school holiday bookings but was disappointed city properties who have borne the brunt of the economic hardship have been left out.

“There are 45,000 hotel rooms in Greater Sydney and all these hotels have reported losses of all forward bookings to August,” said Johnson.

“Sydney hotels were looking at about 50% occupancy into the holiday period and now many are operating at less than 2%.”

“These hotels have been suffering for 15 months and need support for the cancellations they have received so they can continue to pay staff and ongoing costs.

“We will continue to talk with government about how we can give these businesses the help they desperately need,” he said.

The NSW government announced a Hospitality and Tourism COVID-19 Support Grant available to tourism or hospitality businesses with a maximum of $10,000.

There is also an optional deferral of payroll tax payments due in July 2021 and the deferral of hotel June quarter gaming room tax.

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