Sydney (AFP)

Australia's raging forest fires will cause the country to lose billions of dollars in tourism revenue, with many foreign visitors having canceled their trips, an organization in charge of the sector announced on Friday.

The number of travelers booking stays in Australia has fallen by 10 to 20% since the fires started in September and this drop will represent a shortfall of around 4.5 billion Australian dollars (2.70 billion euros) , according to the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).

"International visitors are canceling due to concerns about air quality, safety and the impact these fires have had on our tourism supply, as well as uncertainty about how long it will take us to hand us over, "said Peter Shelley, Director General of ATEC.

The international media have widely covered the crisis linked to these forest fires unprecedented in their scale and duration. They have already killed 28 people and destroyed an area larger than the size of South Korea.

The busy tourist cities of Sydney and Melbourne were enveloped in a cloud of toxic smoke.

ATEC specifies that this disaffection is more significant among travelers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. The period from December to February usually totals half of the annual bookings from these markets.

Shelley said the government and the tourism industry urgently need to send the message that many must-see tourist destinations have not been affected by the fires.

"There is no doubt that our industry will be affected," he said, noting that "the sooner we can send a strong and positive message, the better."

The Australian Conservative government has come under heavy criticism for its fire management and climate change policy, accused by scientists of having contributed significantly to this crisis.

Friday, he announced a recovery plan linked to these fires of 2 billion Australian dollars (1.24 billion euros).

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that he will understand a major boost to the tourism industry. Details are to be released next week.

© 2020 AFP