Australia’s peak tourism group has warned against a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, saying it would seriously damage Australia’s tourism industry.
Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) managing director Matt Hingerty said last week the tourism industry supported Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s position that Australia must speak frankly with China on issues such as Tibet and that there should be no boycott.
Mr Hingerty said “China will very soon become our number one inbound tourism market and there is significant travel from Australia to China.
He added that boycotting the Olympics would damage those significant gains and do nothing to foster the Chinese peoples’ understanding of Australia’s concerns over Tibet.
A Report by The Mole
