Australia PM Says Please Visit: World Celebrities Pitch In

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is asking visitors not to cancel their trips to the Land Down Under. And now Hollywood celebrities are joining the cause.

Morrison this week said foreign tourists shouldn’t cancel planned trips to the country because of the brushfires that have damaged parts of the country, almost all of them far from tourist areas.

“Australia is open, Australia is still a wonderful place to come and bring your family and enjoy your holidays,” Morrison said from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, which has suffered two brushfires in recent weeks, Reuters was reporting.

“Even here on Kangaroo Island, where a third of the island has obviously been decimated, two thirds of it is open and ready for business. It’s important to keep the local economies vibrant at these times,” he said.

"From our estimates more than 95% of the product our customers buy from Goway is unaffected and open for business." Goway Travel COO John Feenaghty told TravelPulse Canada. "Australia is similar in size to both Canada and the USA and these fires, while severe in parts, only represent a small portion of the country.

"The best thing we can do as an industry is keep the bookings flowing Downunder to the vast offering of unique travel experiences across the country," Feenaghty said.

Tourism reportedly accounts for about 3.1% of Australia's Gross Domestic Product, according to thehill.com in Australia.

One Australian travel company sent out a letter saying that “97%” of tourist attractions in the country are open as per normal, but that figure couldn’t be verified by TravelPulse Canada.

Fires in the states of New South Wales and Victoria have destroyed roughly 10,000 acres and resulted in 26 deaths.

Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio is donating $3 million USD to help wildlife impacted by the firest. In a story on MSN.com, DiCaprio's Earth Alliance said the organization “has created the Australia Wildfire Fund to help with an international response to the catastrophic bushfires currently raging in the country.”

Other celebrities also are lending a hand, including Tourism Australia spokesperson Chris Hemsworth and Sir Elton John.

It’s a terrible situation, but tourism officials point out that the fires are from major attractions in Sydney, Melbourne and other parts of the country that tourists generally visit.

Tourism Australia has a “travel alerts” section on its website for folks seeking information. In comments on the site, officials said it’s important to keep a sense of perspective on the fires.

Most destinations in Australia remain safe and continue to welcome visitors. All international airports in Australia are operating as normal.

It is more important than ever to support Australian tourism providers, whether in unaffected regions or those that will recover from these bushfires in the months and years to come. The best way to support Australia, Australian communities, and the tourism sector is to keep visiting. If you cannot travel to an affected area due to bushfires, one of the many ways to help includes rescheduling instead of cancelling a planned trip to support the communities in the coming months.”

The site goes on to list dozens of cities and destinations that are totally unaffected or only slightly affected by the fires.