Bingle and Hogan lose the tourism lure
An article in the Courier Mail says that beautiful beaches and quirky Aussie humour, as depicted by Lara Bingle and Paul Hogan, are no longer enough to lure overseas tourists Down Under, with as tourism booms worldwide, Australia is struggling to attract its share of the 900 million people travelling the globe every year.
The explosion in low-cost carriers in the region has seen inter-Asia tourism explode but Australia has been unable to make the most of the increase in traveller numbers and it still has relatively few cheap carriers connecting us to the region.
So, for the expanding number of well-heeled Chinese and Indian tourists, a trip to Thailand, Vietnam or Malaysia is an easier option.
Recent arrivals, including Air Asia X, and expansion plans by Jetstar and Virgin Blue will make visiting Australia cheaper, bringing more holidaymakers here.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said Australia was a minnow in the global tourism market, with about 1 per cent of market share.
He said as well as chasing the emerging markets of China and India, which grew 16 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in 2007, it was vital to keep working on our traditional markets.
The protracted slump in visitors from Japan has hit Queensland hard, with latest figures showing that in the year to December, arrivals dived another 12 per cent.
“It would be folly to abandon our traditional markets – we need both,” Mr Gschwind said
.The strong Australian dollar, especially in comparison with the yen, has been hard for tourism marketers to overcome.
It has seen the cost of holidaying here increase more than 30 per cent for Japanese tourists.
Mr Gschwind said Australia needed to build on its reputation for quality and unique experiences.
But he warned that service, especially in the face of a skills shortage, could be our achilles heel.
“If we can’t deliver quality consistently then our competitive advantage is put at risk,” he said.
Nowhere is the international tourism slide in Australia more evident than in the international conference and meetings sector.
In the past 10 years there has been a 34 per cent growth in the lucrative market, which brings high-spending delegates who often stay on for post-conference touring.
But over that time Australia’s market share had dropped by an estimated 11 per cent according to research by the International Congress and Conferences Association.
The Business Events Council of Australia is lobbying for an extra $20 million funding for Tourism Australia, targeting the conference market.
A Report by The Mole from the Courier Mail
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