Business tourists on the rise
An AAP report says that business conferences continue to pump money into the Australian economy with the number of delegates attracted to the country skyrocketing over the past few years.
Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said 166,400 business people had come to Australia during 2006-07 – an increase of 61 per cent in the past six years.
“Business, convention and conference travel is big business and the Australia sector is making the most of this lucrative market segment,” Ms Bailey said.
She said the numbers were very promising, considering they did not take in the boom markets of China and India which were now being aggressively targeted by the government.
“Australia offers business travellers exactly what they are looking for from a conference destination – world-class service and facilities coupled with a travel experience that lives with them long after they’ve taken care of business,” she said.
An Australian Tourism Export Council spokesman said the business market was crucial for several reasons.
“They have a high spend (rate) so they are very important for the economy but secondly, business visitors, if they have a good time, they become ambassadors for our country in business and to foreign governments,” he said.
“They promote goodwill about Australia around the world.”
He said some also sent their children to study here after visiting on business, or returned to holiday with their family.
He said visitors were from a cross-section of countries but Asia was an important region.
However, Australia could not now rest on its laurels with several Asian countries investing heavily in infrastructure emerging as threats to the market share.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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