So far, Australian tourism has been one of the worst hit in the world due to the global recession. However, it seems that things may just start to look up for the industry as a whole. Reports now show that the tourism industry has been given an $11 million boost by airlines and regional and state tourist organizations keen on seeing the struggling industry pick back up. The Federal Government has even thrown in $9 million for good measure.

Just last year, it was reported that airlines were desperate to fill up seats on international flights as passenger numbers started to drop. Tourist figures have been declining very steadily and fewer international tourists are coming to Australia all the time. This is bad news since much of Australia’s money is made by tourism. Even hotels have been trying to get tourists in by slashing their prices.

Martin Ferguson, the Federal Minister of Tourism, went on to blame the crisis on the swine flu pandemic and the global recession. He said that they all know that 2009 was a very tough year. International visitors to Australia declined by one percent compared to an average of about four percent around the world. Ferguson did go on to say that he was very optimistic that the funding will help the industry get back on its feet. He said that when private organizations get involved, there is a much better chance of being able to reach goals.

Whenever people invest this much money into one industry it is always going to be a bit risky. However, on the same note, when this many people get involved in one cause, the success rate is normally a lot higher.