Travellers targeted again

Daily News

BUNDABERG'S reputation among international backpackers copped another damaging blow after a Korean couple were attacked by a group of youths last week.

Shockingly, the attack was the second on the couple in as many months.

A friend of the travellers said about five young men surrounded the couple as they returned to their car after grocery shopping at Hinkler Central on Friday night.

During the incident, one of the couple's car windows was smashed, leaving them scared and shaken.

The young foreigners were also the victims of a violent home invasion last month, in which the man was punched in the face by the offender.

The couple's friend, a Bundaberg man has asked not to be identified, is upset the reputation of the town continues to suffer and foreign backpackers continue to be treated poorly in the city.

He said the town needed to realise how much backpackers contributed to the economy and the town needed to stamp out behaviour that would deter international visitors from coming to Bundaberg.

"They've had a rough time in Bundaberg," the friend said.

"They get ripped off, mistreated and taken advantage of.

"Backpackers spend a lot of money in Bundaberg and they shouldn't be treated like this."

The man said he was also worried local businesses would suffer if backpackers and tourists continued to hear negative reports about how Bundaberg treated visitors.

He said many travellers he had spoken to had experienced physical and verbal abuse while in Bundaberg.

Bundaberg Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch said she rejected the suggestion Bundaberg was riskier than anywhere else for travellers.

Cr Pyefinch said a local backpacker taskforce had been assembled and it had addressed a number of issues foreign travellers were likely to experience.

"We felt we had made headway into assisting backpackers visiting Bundaberg," she said.

Cr Pyefinch said the Bundaberg Regional Council website contained information in multiple languages for backpackers on a range of issues including immigration, work, accommodation and health. The information is available by logging on to .