More holidaymakers head Down Under
Australia saw a 4.5% rise in visitors from the UK last year, a rise which the tourist board has put down to various sporting events, such as the Ashes and the British & Irish Lions rugby tour, combined with global campaigns including The Best Jobs in the World promotion.
It said the UK remains Australia’s most valuable overseas market in terms of total spend, which reached AUD$2.4 billion, 15% of the total for all inbound visitors to the country.
The UK is also Australia’s biggest leisure market in terms of visitor nights.
Tourism Australia regional group general manager Denise von Wald said: "Australia remains one of the number one destinations that British holidaymakers most want to visit, but our challenge is to convert desire into actual intention to travel.
"Our ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia‘ campaign resonates well in the UK market and by working with airlines, distribution and media partners we are moving the dial, taking advantage of the improving economic climate and increasing consumer confidence over here."
Tourism Australia’s strategy in the UK, she said, was to attract affluent long-haul travellers aged 50+ and 18 to 25 year olds on working holidays.
"These two segments provide us with the best opportunity to increase overall tourism expenditure out of this market," she said.
Planned activities in the early part of 2014 include new training and incentives for travel agents along with co-operative advertising campaigns with leading airline partners; the launch of ‘John Torode’s Australia’ – a 10-part TV series to be shown on the Good Food Channel; co-operative work with youth operator STA Travel; and the development of the Restaurant Australia concept to raise awareness of the destinations’ food and wine.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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