Tourism Australia’s largest annual travel trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2022 (ATE22), has opened in Sydney with close to 1,100 buyers and sellers registered for the in-person event at the ICC Sydney.
After a two year hiatus, the 42nd edition of Tourism Australia’s premier event, taking place in partnership with Destination NSW, runs from 15 to 18 May, with ATE Online to run from 24 to 26 May to connect those unable to attend the live event.
Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said after two years of travel restrictions due to the global pandemic it is great to be able to welcome international buyers and sellers back to Australia for ATE.
“ATE is the Australian tourism industry’s largest annual business-to-business event, and this year it will bring together around 550 international buyers and 550 Australian sellers,” Ms Harrison said.
“Despite the challenges of the last two years, there has never been a better time to visit Australia and there are plenty of new and exciting experiences and products to showcase.
“The relationships and future business opportunities built at ATE22 will help to spearhead the tourism industry’s recovery as we move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the NSW Government was proud to partner with Tourism Australia to bring ATE22 to Sydney.
“ATE22 will play a key role in turbocharging the NSW visitor economy, reinforcing the incredible products and diversity of experiences our state has to offer to hundreds of local and international buyers,” Mr Ayres said.
“The NSW Government aims to restore visitor expenditure to pre-COVID levels by 2024 and grow it to $65 billion by 2030. ATE plays a key role in achieving that goal and I look forward to joining with stakeholders to champion NSW at this important trade event.”
Australian sellers at ATE22 include accommodation providers, attractions, food/wine/beverage companies, inbound tour operators, regional tourism organisations, special interest operators, state/territory tourism organisations, tour operators, and transport companies.
The 550 international buyers attending ATE Live will travel from 20 countries and include 72 Luxe buyers and 21 specialist buyers operating across luxury, walks, wine, fishing and golf.
Buyer companies include wholesalers, retail travel agencies, inbound tour operators, destination management companies, online travel agencies, online travel book platforms and national tour operators.
This year’s trade show layout will follow the format introduced at ATE21. Buyers will remain stationary in dedicated meeting zones and sellers will move between pre-scheduled appointments.
The live event will also see the return of nine café networking areas hosted by Tourism Australia and each of Australia’s eight state and Territory Organisations.
For more on Tourism Australia for the trade, head to www.tourism.australia.com