The tourism industry is warning that Australia risks losing its reputation among overseas visitors because of cumbersome entry requirements that cost travellers too much and take too long.

In a report on Tuesday, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) called on the government to axe incoming passenger cards, relax visa rules and invest in the passport office.

They also want travel businesses to be able to issue passports to lower costs for Australians.

Government reform is needed before the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane and the opening of the Western Sydney international airport in December 2026, ACCI’s tourism executive John Hart says.

“Whilst Australia ranks fifth in the world for travel and tourism competitiveness, we are 53rd for ground and port infrastructure, and 112th for price competitiveness out of 119 countries,” Hart said.

“The government needs to embrace technology and streamline systems, such as abolishing the outdated Incoming Passenger Card, when the passenger information can be provided by travel providers and travel agents.”

Cumbersome journey

ACCI mapped out the journey incoming tourists take to get to Australia as part of its policy pitch to the government, identifying areas where visitors experience pain points getting in.

Some issues happen before they arrive, such as visa information being provided in enough languages and through accessible formats so people can research what application to make.

Other shortcomings, ACCI argued, include an inability for travellers to book so-called “multi-entry visas” where someone can enter or exit the country multiple times within a specific period.

This feature is becoming increasingly common globally, particularly amid a rise in travellers like digital nomads who work remotely and travel between different countries.

Once a tourist has boarded their flight to Australia, they’re also asked to fill out a physical card before they land with information such as their passport number, origin country and biosecurity risks.

But ACCI said this information could be collected instead by travel providers and agents, or at other stages in the tourist journey, calling on the government to axe the card entirely.

“While the details sought through the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) are necessary to protect Australia, requiring passengers to fill out the IPC manually can be tedious and, for those unable to comprehend English well, can be difficult to complete,” the chamber said in its report.

Passport costs too high

The tourism industry also wants more public investment in the passport office to make life easier for outbound travellers too; suggesting that backlogs have been caused by lacklustre resourcing.

Currently, Australians face fees ranging from $175 to $398 when applying for a passport, which ACCI said are among the highest rates in the world.

“Despite the high passport fees, Australia is currently lagging other developed countries on digital renewal processes,” ACCI said in its report.

“The funding for the APO [Australian Passport Office] is largely variable and it does not receive an appropriation commensurate with the increase in passport fees.”

The federal government has taken some action to improve passport wait times recently, unveiling a measure in the last federal budget that allows Australians to pay extra to speed up the process.

But the industry ultimately wants to be deputised to hand out passports, arguing that businesses in the travel and tourism industry could help ease the burden on the public system.

“Australians can be supported by a travel professional who will be able to provide higher levels of customer service than that of the existing provider with no increase in expenditure to the government,” it said.