Tourism giant James Kwan was first Australian to die from COVID-19, but his legacy lives on

James Kwan became the first Australian to die from coronavirus when he passed away at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. He became infected while onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. (Supplied: Australian Tourism Export Council)

March 1, 2020, was the day the world came to a grinding halt.

Countries closed their borders, workplaces sent their employees home for an undetermined amount of time, and people cheered healthcare workers on their way home from the frontline.

For Australians, the death of Perth man James Kwan, who was the first Australian to succumb from the virus, was a sign of things to come.

The World Health Organization reports 24,687 people have died in Australia from the start of the pandemic to mid-February this year.

The 78-year-old contracted the virus on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was docked off Japan, and was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he later died.

His wife Theresa issued a short statement through the Department of Health:

“My husband passed away peacefully knowing that his family loved him,” she said.

He was later remembered in an obituary published in a WA newspaper as a “beloved husband, cherished father and adored father-in-law”.

Mr Kwan was also renowned in Australia for his work bringing international visitors to the country, and according to tourism bodies, helped bring millions of dollars into the country’s economy through his work and advocacy.

Four years on from the tourism stalwart’s death, the industry he loved so much has been on a rollercoaster to recovery, and experts say it’s hopefully only months away from reaching its full pre-COVID strength.

A slow but steady journey back 

In the 2019/2020 financial year, Tourism Research Australia found visitors from China were among the top five international visitor markets, but the COVID-19 pandemic saw numbers plummet to record lows.

Figures released by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission show a steady incline in visitor numbers and spend since Australia’s border reopened, as tourists slowly regain confidence in overseas travel.

The latest data from the National Visitor Survey revealed a 4 per cent increase in visitor spend of $2.4 billion, and a 13 per cent increase in visitor overnight trips.

“Trips to Australia were 81 per cent of pre-COVID levels,” the survey said.

Chinese visitors have once again entered Australia’s top five international markets, and Peter Shelley from the Australian Tourism Export Council said that was no coincidence.

Enduring impact of pioneer

Mr Shelley was a colleague and friend of Mr Kwan, and said his work promoting Australia in eastern markets in particular had been unparalleled.

“[James’s] impact is really difficult to measure,” he said.

“The hard work is always in establishing the first foothold in these markets — [James] built on that, then everybody came into that with more energy, more marketing, more contribution and more awareness.

“The heavy lifting is done at the state of the journey, and James was one of those guys who did a lot of heavy lifting.”

Mr Shelley said while the industry was still in recovery mode, there were positive signs moving forward.

“I’d love to be back where were were in 2019, but we’re not back,” he said.

Mr Shelley said the prohibitive cost of living was still having an impact on international markets, and countries that opened their borders quicker still had a head start on places like Australia.

But for those who were visiting, their total spend has now hit a three-year high.

Mr Shelley said this was a positive sign.

“We can see the wheel turning in that direction continually month on month, there’s no doubt about that and I’m eternally optimistic,” he said.

“We’ve got an enormously wonderful, attractive product here in Australia and it’s much sought after by many of our markets.

“I’m fully confident that we’ll get back to where we were and continue to grow from there.”

Governments knows value of eastern markets

The focus on regaining eastern market visitors also appears to be a key focus of government agency Tourism Australia.

The authority recently launched its ‘Come and Say G’Day’ campaign targeting Chinese travellers, and managing director Phillipa Harrison said it was a tactical decision for tourism operators.

“Tourism Australia has remained active in China over the past few years to keep the dream of an Australia holiday alive … we delayed our global campaign until aviation capacity between China and Australia could meet the demand,” she said in a media release.

“With the capacity returning to more than 50 per cent of 2019 levels this month, we believe now is the right time to invite Chinese travellers to ‘Come and Say G’day’.”

A legacy lives on

Mr Shelley said four years on from his death, Mr Kwan’s knowledge and teachings were still a cornerstone in the industry for how to attract visitors.

“The markets he worked with — China, India, the eastern markets in particular — he was a source of information as those markets evolved, and he was one of the first into those markets.

“James was very happy to share his learning with the rest of the industry so we could all grow together.

“I’ll always respect that from him.”