TTF says Australia’s not ready to meet tourism forecasts
The tourism industry needs to continue to innovate by creating new experiences and investing in new hotels and attractions to meet the forecast growth in inbound tourism, said peak industry group TTF Australia (Tourism & Transport Forum).
New figures released by the Tourism Forecasting Committee (TFC), project annual growth in inbound arrivals to Australia of 4.8 percent through to 2016, when arrivals will total 8.9 million and tourism’s total economic value will reach $104-billion.
TTF Managing Director Christopher Brown said innovation and a public/private partnership model were needed to prepare the industry for a profitable future.
“The tourism industry needs to take a long, hard look at itself now and work out how it’s going to welcome 8.9 million overseas visitors and lay the bed for a profitable and sustainable industry,” Mr Brown said.
“We need to look at ways to overcome some of the impediments to achieving long-term, sustainable growth including a lack of investment in hotels and new attractions, complex and lengthy planning processes, skills and labour shortages and the impacts of climate change on natural tourism assets and travel behaviour.
“If we don’t look into the crystal ball now, Australia won’t be ready to service the forecast growth, which would be a major opportunity missed for the industry.
“Given the importance of industry innovation, TTF Australia is working on a major project to create a strong competitive position for the tourism industry over the next 10 years and galvanise government and industry support to take the necessary steps.
“Governments at all levels have a big role to play – by creating an environment conducive to tourism investment and growth – but the industry also needs to come to the party with new product offerings and compelling experiences.”
Mr Brown said the industry needed to cater for an influx of visitors from the Eastern Hemisphere.
“We’re expecting massive tourism growth form the east, with arrivals from India forecast to grow by 373 percent between 2006 and 2016, growth from China of 241 percent and growth from the Middle East of 183%.
“It’s important that we tailor our tourism experiences to cater for visitors from these markets, so that there is no gap between what we are promising in our marketing and what we can actually deliver.”
“Those visitors may need to have tourism experiences translated into their own language, which presents another workforce challenge – that of supplying interpreters.”
A Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025