Achieving Australia's Tourism Potential

The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, today unveiled a significant update to the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy - Tourism 2020, to enhance growth, resilience and competitiveness in Australia’s $34 billion tourism industry.

Tourism 2020 sets the course for industry and governments to work in partnership to make the most of the forecast increase in international and domestic visitor nights and strong growth in demand from Asia.

“Tourism 2020 is about lifting productivity, innovation and quality by tapping into digital technology, increasing investment through regulatory reform, further expanding our transport capacity and focusing on labour, skills and Indigenous participation,” Minister Ferguson said.

“Fierce competition from overseas destinations, skills shortages at home, and the strong Australian dollar present challenging trading conditions.  However, opportunities are on the horizon, with the emergence of Asian markets, such as China, India and Indonesia and new ways of reaching those markets, such as increased aviation capacity and growth in online marketing technology.

“With only 35 per cent of tourism businesses currently accepting online payments for instant confirmation bookings, we need to equip businesses with the tools they need to compete more effectively. Tourism 2020 will sharpen Australia’s competitive edge and deliver tangible benefits for Australian tourism businesses.

“The Asian century is ahead of us and Australia remains one of the top three most desired destinations in all markets promoted by Tourism Australia. One-in-five of Tourism Australia’s marketing dollars will be spent in China to capitalise on the incredible growth coming out of that region.

“The foundation phase of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy yielded significant wins such as the T-QUAL Tick marketing campaign which we are rolling out today.

“Tourism 2020 is the next logical step in helping the industry to reach its full potential.  Our goal is to double overnight tourism expenditure from $70 billion to as much as $140 billion by the end of the decade.”

Tourism 2020 integrates the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy with the growth aspirations of the 2020 Tourism Industry Potential.  Endorsed by all state and territory tourism ministers, it brings the existing work, research and collaboration between industry and governments into a single plan, one that links tourism supply with demand.

Source - investinaustralia