The National Tourism Incident Response Plan (NTIRP) was developed to facilitate an effective national response to potential major shocks to the Australian tourism industry. The NTIRP sets out a response framework and actions for the Australian, and state and territory governments to pursue in cooperation with industry to ensure detailed and targeted responses can be put in place quickly.
The plan covers three main elements:
- monitoring the incident
- day to day management of the incident
- ways of considering possible remedies for recovery.
The plan recognises the importance of close collaboration between government and industry when responding to major incidents. In developing the plan, the government has made a commitment to work closely with industry to ensure the best possible outcome for the Australian tourism industry.
The National Tourism Incident Response Plan
[PDF, 757KB] is available for download.
Current Activation Level
There are four levels of activation for the NTIRP: Blue, Green, Amber, and Red. Blue is the lowest level of activation and indicates that there is no or a low threat. The NTIRP is always active - at either Blue, Green, Amber or Red.
In response to the outbreak of H1N1 Influenza 09 (Swine Flu), in April 2009, the Department consulted with state and territorytourism organisations and key industry groups to determine the NTIRP activation level. The incident was initially activated as Green (watching brief status), and was elevated to Amber (incident response required). NTIRP members have since agreed to decrease the activation level to Green (watching brief status). The Department continues to monitor and review the H1N1 Influenza 09 situation, with the capacity for rapid escalation, if required.
Since 2005, the NTIRP has been activated at green (watching brief status) in recognition of the continued threat of an outbreak of Avian Influenza.