Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester is encouraging the community to support the local tourism and hospitality sector these school holidays.
Mr Chester said many businesses across the region would be impacted by the re-introduction of some restrictions to control the coronavirus pandemic and official advice to avoid travel out of six metropolitan municipalities in Melbourne’s north, west and south-east.
The municipalities include Cardinia Shire, which encompasses Tynong, Nar Nar Goon and Officer.
“There are many businesses across Gippsland which were looking forward to welcoming visitors from Melbourne these school holidays,” Mr Chester said.
“This travel advice applies to around a million people in Melbourne and will have a flow-on effect here.
“I’m already hearing stories of people cancelling their plans to come to Gippsland for the holidays because they live in one of those six local government areas.
“Now, more than ever, is the time for Gippslanders to support Gippslanders. We must keep putting locals first: shopping locally and supporting local service providers creates local jobs.
“We need to back our tourism and hospitality sector, which was already suffering due to the bushfires and the coronavirus lockdown.
“There are many restaurants and pubs disappointed by the delay in lifting the limits on patron numbers. I want to encourage everyone to do what they can to show their support for these local businesses and help them through this period.
“I want Gippslanders to get out and spend time and money in their own backyard to help our region through these tough times.”
