Tourism Australia’s annual Destination Australia conference held yesterday in Sydney was its biggest-ever – and more proof that Aussie tourism is almost back in full swing.
But as travel Down Under inches closer towards 2019 levels, talk at the event, which was attended by a record 800 tourism industry stakeholders and media (and a further 200 online), didn’t revolve around self-congratulation, but around future-proofing the industry – in other words, sustainability, and what that looks like moving forward.
In a message delivered from the event, Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said Australian tourism is in a strong position, but not without its challenges.
“With the theme being the ‘next chapter of sustainable growth’, today’s been an opportunity to come together as an industry as we approach the point, hopefully this year, where international arrivals and spend get back to 2019 levels,” she said.
“This will be the moment when we can finally say goodbye to that benchmark and look forward to what growth, and particularly what sustainable growth, looks like for our industry.
“Therefore a key focus of discussions today was around opportunities and challenges that we are facing together.”
“As we look to future-proof our industry, our focus needs to be not only on economic growth, but we also need to account for current and future social and environmental considerations – and we need to balance and address the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and of course host communities. And that’s no mean feat.”
Despite the challenges, Harrison added that Australia was still highly sought-after among international travellers.
“There might be a cost of living crisis around the world, and issues around aviation pricing and capacity, but demand for Australia remains high,” she remarked.
“Our partners in market are telling us that we’re still at the top of bucket lists and the high-yielding travellers that we target with such laser focus are still prioritising planning and booking holidays.”
Plethora of panellists
Held at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) and emceed by television host Karl Stefanovic, the conference featured a wealth of speakers including Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator Don Farrell and Tourism Australia Chair Michael Issenberg, who spoke on the importance of creating a sustainable future for the industry.
Elsewhere, a panel of Australian tourism leaders, including Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton, Tourism Holdings Limited CEO Grant Webster and Business Events Sydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith, discussed the outlook, priorities and trends for the year ahead.
Other highlights included a discussion around effective marketing at a time when competition for the international tourism dollar is fierce, a chat with Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace about the state of play and outlook for aviation, and a conversation about accessible tourism with award-winning writer, speaker and appearance activist Carly Findlay OAM, among other panellists.
Harrison said, “a real highlight of the day was a panel celebrating our frontline storytellers, our tour guides, hopefully inspiring the next generation to come and build a career in tourism”.
Representing guides in a panel at the event were Elisha Kissick (Yura Tours), Sladjana Hidosan (Splendour Tailored Tours), Shane Wilson (Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures) and Dave McMahon (Venture North).
A stirring Welcome to Country was also given by Founder and Owner of Dreamtime Southern X, “Aunty Margret”.
For more information on Tourism Australia, click here.
