This morning, delegates at the Travel DAZE conference in Surry Hills were treated to a special address from Australia’s very own Tourism Minister Senator Richard Colbeck, and from the sounds of things, the future of tourism is looking bloody positive.
“It took the industry a little while to get a Tourism Minster back, but as Malcolm would say, there’s never been a more exciting time for tourism, and I hope to take the job back post the second of July,” Senator Colbeck began.
“There’s been a seventeen per cent spend increase in international visitors. That’s good news for the sector and of course, given that almost everybody’s talking about the tourism industry, it’s an exciting time for those working in the industry to see numbers so strong.
“The tourism sector is identified as one of the five super growth areas of Australia for the future.”
So what does the future look like?
“It’s important to get the settings right,” Senator Colbeck said. “We want to make sure that those settings give you the chance to conduct your businesses as seamlessly as possible. That’s very much the philosophy I bring to the sector.”
“All the core contributors remain strong,” he added, with a 38 per cent rise in expenditure from China, 22 per cent from US travellers, and 10 per cent in the UK.
“We’ve seen quite exciting numbers in terms of yield, and that’s the thing that’s been underpinning our growth, despite where the dollar might sit.”
The tourism minister said when it comes to that “old chestnut” of visa issues, it was “important to monitor what’s happening internationally”.
“I was in November last year to announce the free multi-entry visa from Australia to Indonesia, and I didn’t quite realise the impact it would have until I ran into a group of agents in South Australia who said they had significantly increased their sales in that sector after the visa introduction.”
“It’s quite an exciting time in this sector for the next decade,” Senator Colbeck said.
“We need to get the fundamentals right that run and support our industry and keep the sector strong,” Senator Colbeck added.
“We’ll continue to engage with you as an industry sector so that we are across the particular issues that occupy your attention and ensure we continue to work cooperatively with states as we have done with the Tourism Australia coastal and aquatic campaign.
“I look forward to continuing to interact with you post the second of July.”
Stay tuned for more Travel DAZE wrap ups from the tourism minister and more in tomorrow’s edition.
