British tourism leaders have identified a need to improve the packaging and distribution of British product in Australia after admitting it is a market sometimes “forgotten” by suppliers.
VisitBritain overseas network director, Keith Beecham, confirmed efforts will be stepped up to produce commissionable product following frank criticism from Australian wholesalers and agents.
He also revealed that VisitBritain will reinstate a trade mission to Australia this year – after an absence of four years – as part of plans to “re-energise” its relationship with the local market.
Speaking to Travel Today at Destination Britain in Bangkok, Beecham said there would be a renewed focus on developing product beyond London.
“If I’m being honest, the area where we need to do a lot of work is product,” he admitted. “During round table discussions with Australian operators, what came through loud and clear was that competitively we are not presenting sufficient product in a way that makes it easy for the Australian travel industry to sell.
“We will work harder to identify what consumers want, what experiences they are looking for and ensure those products are pushed through the distribution channel.”
Asked whether Britain had become complacent in its approach to Australia, Beecham said: “I don’t think complacent is the right word. I think the geographical distance means that Australia sometimes gets forgotten. Not deliberately or wantonly but it is a long way away and UK suppliers wonder how can they engage with Australia.
“That is why we are going to bring a delegation to Australia for a trade mission. It will be the first time we have done so for a few years. We need to start those product conversations between British suppliers and Australian buyers. With Australia’s economy going well and the dollar so strong, there is a really compelling case to re-energise our tourism relationship with Australia.
“It has always been a warm relationship but it’s time to take it to the next level.”
It is understood an initial delegation will involve senior executives from VisitBritain, Visit Scotland, Visit Wales, Visit England and London and Partners who will hold strategic talks with the major retail chains and wholesalers.
Those talks will identify what suppliers would be relevant to take part in a wider sales mission.
Beecham said VisitBritain will use its own research and tap into the knowledge of the Australian industry to package product that resonates with Australian travellers.
Heritage, culture and countryside are the three key motivators in Australia and product needs to reflect that, he said.
“I can tell Australian operators that Manchester and Liverpool are fantastic places and they are saying ‘Keith, I don’t disagree but no one is presenting that to me in a way that I can package and sell to my consumers’.
“What we as VisitBritain have to do is work with the destinations in Britain, help them with the insights we have given them about Australia so they can say, right, let’s put together a three day North of England package and then take that to wholesalers. That’s what we have to do a lot more of.”
In its recently released 2020 strategy, tourism leaders hope to attract 1.2 million Australian to the UK by the end of the decade, up from around one million, with spending forecast to rise from the $1.69 billion they spent last year to $2.14b, an increase of 42%.
Overall, VisitBritain has drawn up plans to attract nine million additional international tourists by 2020 with spend set to almost double to $48b.
Beecham described the figures as “ambitions” rather than targets and said it would require compound annual growth of 3.5%.
“We have not achieved that level of growth for a decade so the hard work starts now,” he said.
More from Keith Beecham in tomorrow’s Travel Today.
