TTF Media Release

Wednesday 28 April 2021

BRING WORKERS BACK TO BREATHE LIFE BACK INTO CITY

Around 93 per cent of Victorian employees are still working from home on a regular basis for two or more days a week, according to new consumer research commissioned by the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF).

The research conducted by research and management consultancy MI Associates found that of the 77 per cent of those surveyed who switched to working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic almost 53 per cent still work from home four days or more. A further 40 per cent are working from home for at least two days.

The new data comes as the Victorian Property Council prepares to host the ‘Revitalising Melbourne’s CBD’ Luncheon with Lord Mayor Sally Capp on Wednesday, 27 April, to be attended by key industry groups and CBD stakeholders with next steps for the reactivation of the Melbourne CBD to be a focus of discussion.

TTF CEO Margy Osmond praised the collaborative approach of the Victorian Government and City of Melbourne in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the Melbourne CBD, citing the $100 million Melbourne City Recovery Fund as a prime example.

“With the end of JobKeeper, we must do everything we can to support our tourism-reliant industries by breathing life back into the Melbourne CBD – the epi-centre of this magnificent city.

“Now is the time to get workers back into mighty Melbourne, to support the city’s businesses, especially those heavily reliant on international visitors and the corporate travel market.

“Not only should we look at ways to entice workers and visitors back to our CBDs, but we need to draw a line in the sand and find a way to address increased private vehicle usage generated by the pandemic. We need to encourage people to return to work using the public transport options they frequented before the pandemic.

This latest research builds on recent economic research looking at the impact of the decline in international visitors on CBDs conducted by Stafford Strategy for TTF which revealed the Melbourne CBD has suffered a 40% drop in visitation on 2019 levels.

Media Contact: TTF Director of Corporate Affairs & Membership Graeme Moses: gmoses@ttf.org.au or 0434 569 470

Enclosed: Melbourne heat map research