April 29, 2010
Confidence in international tourism is slowly returning after a year many operators would like to have written off, according to the latest Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) - MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey.
The survey of senior staff at major tourism operators around Australia shows a strong rise in international tourism performance in the first quarter of 2010.
The international tourism performance indicator jumped 18 points, the second biggest in the history of the survey, while the three key indicators - overall, international and domestic‐were all in positive territory for the first time.
TTF Executive Director Brett Gale says the industry sees strong potential in the new Tourism Australia campaign - ‘Nothing Like Australia’ - with more than half of respondents expecting it to be either successful or very successful.
“To have majority support for the campaign before its official launch bodes well for cooperative marketing campaigns,” Gale says.
“The industry sees longevity in this campaign which will allow the development of campaigns for the longer term and appreciates its flexibility and ability to adapt to different regions and markets,” he says.
“Australian tourism needs consistency in branding and strategies, and industry is backing the adoption of There’s Nothing Like Australia as a theme which can be maintained for years to come.”
Results from the survey show just 5 percent of respondents believe the campaign will not be successful - down from 14 percent who believed the previous campaign would not succeed.
“Economies around the world are recovering and the new campaign will put Australia front and centre to capitalise on the recovery,” Gale says.
“However, there is no doubt that this is still a tough time for Australian tourism,” he adds.
Many respondents commented on the high Australian dollar hurting international arrivals and enticing Australians to travel offshore.
