Opportunities Remain for a Resilient Industry
By . Posted on October 10th, 2011 under News
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Tourism Research Australia has today released its annual State of the Industry Report, a comprehensive analysis of the Australian tourism industry drawing on information from a range of industry and economic sources.
This year’s report assesses industry performance over the past year. It also builds on the inaugural report by introducing a new tool for tracking tourism performance, the Tourism Scorecard.
The report shows the variability in performance across markets and sectors of the industry with tourism expenditure down 3 per cent in real terms, but business expenditure increasing 6 per cent in 2010-11 as against 2009-10. International visitor numbers are up for the year but expenditure is down and the number of Australians travelling overseas continues to increase – up by 13 per cent in 2010.
Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP and the Minister Assisting on Tourism, Senator Nick Sherry, welcomed the report as a vital resource for industry, investors, and government, that will inform discussion at next Thursday’s Tourism Directions Conference in Canberra.
“As part of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy we have introduced an annual assessment of current industry performance, challenges and trends to assist industry maximise its opportunities and track progress in meeting the ambitious 2020 Tourism Industry Potential,” Minister Ferguson said.
“There are no surprises in this year’s report. It confirms the broad trends we have seen, both positive and negative, and clearly sets out the challenges tourism is facing in the short term but also the immense opportunities in the longer term with significant growth in key Asian markets on our doorstep.
“Clearly recent challenges such as the Queensland floods, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, global economic uncertainty and a high Australian dollar have had a direct impact on the industry.
“However, this report is also a timely reminder of industry’s continued resilience in dealing with such shocks, and through industry and government partnerships we are building on this resilience even further.”
The report calls on the industry to further recognise the potential upsides attached to the eventual recovery in traditional inbound markets.
The Minister Assisting on Tourism, Senator Nick Sherry, said the industry should focus on things it can influence and the opportunities available.
“Through marketing and industry development, we’re raising the profile of Australia as a destination,” Senator Sherry said.
“This strategy is also making the industry more attractive to investors and to the job seekers needed to meet tourism’s demand for skills.”
The report can be downloaded at www.ret.gov.au/tra.
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