ATX: magazine issue 6

Issue 6

December 2008

YEARBOOK EDITION 2008 AUD $9.95

top end of the world

NTturns it onfor Symposium2008

ATEC annual report 2008inreview

all that glitters IS gold

CollaborationontheGCisVery successful

ready for take-off

Airlines headingfor clearer skies

health & wellness

Get your business fightingfit

The magazine of Australia’s inbound tourism industry: an official Australian Tourism Export Council publication

atx: thecontent

atx: from the MD Dear industry colleague

readyfortake-off Aviation round-up

Welcome to the latest edition of the atx: Yearbook, incorporating the Annual Report for 2007-2008.

prognosis:positive “Health and Wellness” sector analysis

The past twelve months have been some of the hardest in living memory for the export tourism industry. Inbound numbers were flat, the Federal Budget saw taxes and charges rise, operators struggled for much of the year under a high Aussie dollar, and costs business input rose in the tight labour market. As if that wasn’t enough, the global financial crisis then knocked the wind out of the world economy, decimating forward bookings.

goldensuccessfromcollaboration Gold Coast destination feature

productfeature Currumbin Wildlife Santuary

profile Michelle O’Byrne - TAS Minister for Tourism

topendoftheworld

However there is light on the horizon. The new Baz Luhrmann epic Australia will hopefully generate interest overseas and boost our inbound numbers. Various state governments have also gotten behind their tourism sectors with long-term plans and extra funding.

Northern Territory destination feature

ATECannualreport The year in review

sirfrankmoore

ATEC also did its bit to turn things around during the year. Our Symposium in Newcastle was a huge success, with much positive feedback received from attendees.

We also led members on a trade venture to South America, the first such private-sector mission in decades, also to much acclaim. In addition we set up the Health and Wellness Tourism Advisory Panel to investigate the potential for this promising tourism sector in Australia. And as ever we worked tirelessly in Canberra during the year, contributing numerous submissions to Government enquiries on Climate Change, Innovation, Infrastructure and Aviation.

This edition of atx: not only summarises ATEC’s activities during the year but takes a look at what we might expect to see in the coming twelve months.

Amongst other things it takes a look at up-and-coming inbound destination Darwin (the location of next year’s Symposium), examines how the Gold Coast has revitalised itself, explores the potential of the Health and Wellness sector in Australia and interviews several new Tourism Ministers who are making their presence felt.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year from myself and the staff at ATEC.

Historical feature

usefulstuff The big deal about negotiation

profile Jodi McKay - NSW Minister for Tourism

profile Dr Liz Constable - WA Minister for Tourism

whathappensontour...

Postcards from the road

atx: contributors Allan Leibowitz

is a former editor of Business Queensland and the Australian Travel Reporter.

He now specialises in business travel, and edits the specialist publication, Business Travel Monthly.

Season’s greetings, Matthew Hingerty Managing Director Australian Tourism Export Council

03 06 09 13 15 16 20 34 35 36 37 38

Jessica Zoiti is a Perth-based freelance journalist who considers travel her greatest passion. She has spent much of her time exploring regional WA and the East Asian region, and is a regular contributor to national travel trade publication, Traveltalk magazine, among many others.

Jane E. Fraser

is a former metropolitan newspaper journalist who has been specialising in travel and tourism for 10 years. Her writing appears in high profile newspapers, magazines and business journals and she spends much of her time editing travel publications.

Ben Sandilands

has reported airline affairs for 36 years. His contributions appear in The Australian Financial Review, Aviation Business Asia Pacific, and overseas publications served by the Guardian & Observer News service.

Nick Buchan is the National Media and Communications Manager with the Australian Tourism Export Council. He has a background in journalism, having spent more than ten years writing for News Limited publications such as The Daily Telegraph and www.news.com.au, as well as for publications such as advertising bible B&T Magazine.

Lee Mylne is a

Melbourne-based freelance journalist who has specialised in writing about travel and tourism for a range of consumer and trade magazines around Australia for the past 15 years.

atx: is published by SampsonsDirect on behalf of the Australian Tourism Export Council.

contact us

editorial publisher Rob Sampson editor Nick Buchan ATEC Liaison Nikki Mallam senior art director/designer Mark Devries

Phone 02 9922 3388 ATEC 02 8262 5500 Email editor@sampsondirect.com.au ATEC info@atec.net.au Web www.sampsonsdirect.com.au, www.atec.net.au

enquiries editorial editor@sampsonsdirect.com.au subscriptions subscribe@sampsonsdirect.com.au advertising sales@sampsonsdirect.com.au

advertising advertising sales Mark Pegler atx:magazine

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© SampsonsDirect 2008

atx: aviation feature

Ready for

Take-off

New picture emerging

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“Every extra bit of business we can generate with the help of the carriers is two-way self-help. In the context of a hard year like 2009 threatens to be, they are gold bricks in the foundations for better times.”

Now that the most recent financial returns are putting real figures over the darker second half of calendar 2008, and current convention bookings are being exhausted, a different - but far from hopeless - picture is emerging.

The global financial crisis is having one clear effect, that of forcing well-run airlines to impose spending freezes, capacity cuts and to review the core assumptions of their business models.

ATEC Managing Director Matthew Hingerty says this is a clear signal to the industry to make itself heard by the carriers, even though the relationship in Australia is by large measure very sound.

The global financial crisis currently laying waste to economies across the world meant that Australian airlines ended 2008 on a rather subdued note however, as Ben Sandilands reports, they can still hold their heads up high.

We still have the best-run, most competitive and most profitable network of air services in the world, with Australian carriers wellequipped to focus on new sources of business and the inevitable recovery from the global financial crisis.

Exactly how fuel prices, exchange rates and consumer confidence will affect tourism in 2009 is impossible to predict, but there is no doubting that the relationship between the industry and the airlines has become even more important.

In fact the abrupt changes affecting global airlines and the major tourism economies was handled exceptionally well by both Australian carriers and some of the leading flag carriers serving this market.

The record profitability by Qantas in the year

to June 30, and similarly-strong numbers in consecutive periodic reports from the likes of Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates ended around May, when fuel first broke the $US130-per-barrel level - and this was at a time when the AUD/USD rate offered a partial natural hedge.

That fuel crisis was then blindsided by the financial crisis. Not only did the price of fuel plunge, but it was almost matched by the parallel descent of the AUD against the USD, the Euro and the Yen. Suddenly the travel sectors had an exchange rate favourable for both domestic and inbound tourism - only to have the benefits snatched away by collapsing consumer confidence at home and abroad.

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He says the fundamental nature of the airline relationship is to give carriers the confidence to maintain or add to services, including new city pairs, by identifying and securing multiple new sources of leisure or lifestyle spending.

“We have to show the airlines that at a given port specific activities or interests can generate plane loads of passengers on a reliable basis,” Hingerty said.

“It might be one single-aisle A320 a day on a low-cost link within Australia, or it may be one twin-aisle A330 weekly from somewhere in Asia.”

“But with the support of the carriers in hosting productive holiday retailers or special interest associations, and journalists writing for influential travel publications those hundreds of extra passengers a week can become thousands, many thousands.”

“It has to be new income, and when airlines see new business by the plane load, they see growth, improved fleet utilisation and better numbers in the P&L accounts, and tourism operators and investors see more jobs, more downstream activity, and more earnings,” Hingerty said.

atx: aviation feature “The key success factors for the future of tourism include world-class product and service, clear differentiation, appropriate investment in marketing, clearlydefined goals and measures, and being clean and green.”

“Every extra bit of business we can generate with the help of the carriers is two-way selfhelp. In the context of a hard year like 2009 threatens to be, they are gold bricks in the foundations for better times.”

Hingerty says the tourism industry must keep airlines convinced of the merits of their ongoing relationship, because once carriers slash and burn their networks the consequent decline in leisure or lifestyle travel activity becomes much harder to turn around or replace.

Rob Gurney, Qantas Group General Manager Sales and Distribution, says the pre-eminent

E T LA relationship Qantas has with the industry will continue, following a year in which it established the Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Awards and began an ‘Investing for the Long Haul’ program of related seminars.

Gurney says Qantas has its finger on the pulse of consumer expectations through a network of commercial teams which are “singularly-focused on securing inbound visitors to Australia from both traditional and emerging markets.”

He says “the key success factors for the future of tourism include world-class product and service, clear differentiation, appropriate investment in marketing, clearly-defined goals and measures, and being clean and green.”

Dreamliner Delays

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The serious delays to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project dealt Jetstar out of the opening contest to bring long-haul LCC travel to Europe. But that contest is in its earliest days, and is opening up the second and third tier of European airports, many of which are within one- or two-hours access to 20 million-plus potential visitors for whom existing services come with the barriers of costly or inconvenient access to major hubs.

Jetstar and AirAsia X are intent on making long-haul low-cost leisure-oriented air services work. Both are offering a premium economy product, respectively Star Class and Deluxe. These initiatives promise to

Airline-sector developments

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In the twelve months before the twin fuel and finance crises struck there were some important developments in the Australian airline sector that both strengthened them and enhanced and diversified their contribution to inbound and domestic tourism.

Qantas’ two-brand strategy not only saw Jetstar grow and prosper but gradually begin to offer services that could compete directly with the full-service network.

Tactically this has given the more frequent and higher-yielding Qantas customers a place to which they could ‘trade down’ to, and also (through Jetstar) kept Qantas fully in touch with the needs of the leisure destinations and their tourism stakeholders.

Virgin Blue engaged itself with the middle range of fares, introduced a premium economy product, and started the roll out of 72-104 seat Embraer E-jets targeting Canberra, major rural centres and routes where its 737s attracted marginal payloads.

This has left the true low-cost market almost entirely to Jetstar. Its only direct competitor, Tiger Airways, began with much fanfare late in 2007, but more than a year later had only four jets in service, was bleeding money, had no public plans to serve Sydney or Brisbane and had been driven off the Darwin and Newcastle markets.

Jetstar demonstrated its willingness to use frequency and keen pricing to push Tiger out of any market it chose.

On international services the headline attraction was the debut of the Airbus A380 on Australian routes by Singapore Airlines and Qantas.

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The business case for the giant jet gains considerably in a higher-fuel-cost environment because it enhances its unit of production-cost advantage. With the A380 Qantas has for the first time a jet on which every seat can be sold flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Australia against the headwinds that steal much of the revenue opportunity of existing equipment.

On trunk routes where airports are constrained, and especially to London, it is no surprise that the three dominant kangaroo route players, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Emirates, will offer at least daily A380 schedules before the middle of 2009.

But for many tourism operators, the battle of the trans-border LCC franchises of Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Vietnam with AirAsia and Tiger is of more compelling interest.

The Tiger links between its limited Australian routes and its Asian network are entirely through single-aisle A320s over Perth. However the contest between the Jetstar entities and AirAsia also involves wide-bodied longer-haul A330s and AirAsia X. The long-distance arm of the latter is now flying frequently to Kuala Lumpur from the Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne and will soon offer onward low-fare flights to London (Stansted) using an A340.

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atx: aviation feature broaden the market base for inbound tourism, fed by expanding networks within Asia, and position their owners to participate in leisure-travel growth from the region. The potential benefits for Australian inbound tourism are obvious.

However, much more is at stake in this contest. It is also about the rival SouthEast Asian hub airports of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok and the central role each plays in the tourism and transport ambitions of their owners.

Those with long memories may recall that when inbound tourism began to rapidly take off in the mid-80s a constant theme was of marketing Australia to higheryielding visitors.

Qantas was to have played two very powerful hands in route and market development in 2008 via the simultaneous introduction of significant numbers of A380s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. It secured these jets at substantial catalogue price discounts.

But they ran late.

The compensation, totalling almost half a billion dollars over the last two financial years (over $200 million from Airbus in fiscal 2007 and $291 million from Boeing in fiscal 2008) has been described as inadequate by outgoing Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon.

V Australia is working on the premise that there are ‘new world tourists’ ready to fly in its jets, just as Virgin Blue motivated ‘new world travellers’, mainly self-funded professionals or SMEs who previously saw flying as an extravagance rather than necessity. V Australia hasn’t set out to be either Jetstar or Qantas but actually something different, and priced between rock-bottom and top-dollar.

Targeting higher-yield

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Qantas is already addressing the latent demand by travellers for value as distinct to a bargain-basement fare. Its Premium Economy cabin at the top rear deck of the A380 is, like those in recently-refitted Qantas 747s, a competitive-value proposition for travellers who want more than a touch of class in their affordable flight as well as resort arrangements.

Qantas Premium Economy is the natural complement (in terms of global reach) with the Star Class cabins of international Jetstar services, especially so considering that these are the same cabins that originally flew as domestic business class in these A330s in Qantas colours.

Those with long memories may recall that when inbound tourism began to rapidly take off in the mid-1980s a constant theme was of marketing Australia to higheryielding visitors.

Now via the investment the airlines are making in Premium Economy there finally are options to match such tastes. Not all opportunities in tourism are welded to lowcost-fare formats, in the air or on the ground.

There are visitors for whom a trip to Australia

The 787 was absolutely critical both to Qantas’ plans to retire its aged fleet and expand Jetstar’s long-haul operations to kangaroo-route destinations such as Rome, Amsterdam and Manchester that are unsustainable using the full-service Qantas product.

Yet the 787 hasn’t even flown. The program is in crisis. There may not be a Jetstar Dreamliner until 2011. Hints from Qantas that it will buy substantial numbers of Airbus’ medium-sized long-haul twin-aisle jet, the A350, are not just idle threats. Frustratingly however, none of those are available until about 2015.

Equipment misfortunes weren’t limited to the Qantas/Jetstar team either. Virgin Blue subsidiary V Australia had its plans for the late-2008 launch of its Boeing 777-300ER flights on the Sydney-Los Angeles route ruined by shortages of cabin fittings and a machinists’ strike in Seattle.

By the end of 2009 V Australia now seems set to fly more than daily to Los Angeles, and less than daily between Perth and Johannesburg. atx:magazine

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may be based in part on a desire to escape the crowded, hectic and sticker-price driven offerings of the mass vacation markets of closer-to-home destinations.

Now via the investment the airlines are making in Premium Economy there finally are options to match such tastes. Not all opportunities in tourism are welded to low-costfare formats, in the air or on the ground.

Perhaps the most vital interaction between the carriers and inbound operators in 2009 will be in the area of medical procedures and ‘wellness’. The subsets of such tourism include the spectrum of insurance-funded medical procedures such as cardiac interventions, personally-funded cosmetic or ‘make-over’ procedures, specialised spa or health retreat or personal development products, and even ‘boot camps’.

ATEC is driving this agenda hard, as outlined elsewhere in this magazine. The proposition is highly saleable. Do you want your operation with or without a holiday in Australia for two as a bonus?

It sounds like just what the doctor would order for filling the higher-yielding cabins of Qantas A380s and V Australia 777s too!

atx: analysis

Prognosis:

Positive Inbound operators need to sit up and take notice of the ‘Health and Wellness’ industry, writes Nick Buchan, or they risk missing out on one of the fastestgrowing travel sectors in the world.

When Doug Yek chose Cairns as the location for his new IVF super-clinic, it wasn’t for the reasons you might expect. It wasn’t just the local hospitals or the city’s growing population which attracted him - Cairns won out because in Doug’s words “it already has a well-established tourism infrastructure”.

Welcome to the brave new world of ‘Health and Wellness’ tourism.

Also known as ‘medical tourism’, this particular travel sector is booming right around the world and is one of the few industry sectors with growth forecasts which have remained untouched by the current global financial crisis. Industry definitions vary, but the sector has two major elements – people travelling for actual medical procedures such as hip replacements, cosmetic surgery, dental work and so on, and people looking for places to unwind, de-stress and enhance their health and general wellness.

The forecasts are staggering. A recent Deloittes study estimated that the global Health and Wellness market is currently worth $US60 billion, and is expected to rise to $US100 billion by 2010. According to that same study 750,000 Americans travelled abroad for medical care in 2007, a number which is expected to grow to six million by 2010 (a growth rate of more than 100 per cent per year), and to 16 million by 2017.

Mr Yek already runs one IVF clinic in Perth, and expects his new Cairns Fertility Centre

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to open its doors by March 2009. However, while the Perth clinic deals largely with domestic patients, Mr Yek expects to source at least 50 per cent of his patients from overseas – initially from south-east Asian markets.

The new twelve-storey Cairns facility will not only contain surgical theatres and a range of other medical specialists, but also boast floors of luxury accommodation suites. Mr Yek said that he was keen to work with established tourism businesses – be they hotels, suppliers or even ITOs – to enhance his patient’s holiday experience.

“We have got cosmetic surgeons, general surgeons who specialise in breast surgery and so forth, so as well as focusing on IVF we aim to provide a comprehensive women’s and men’s health-care service,” Mr Yek said.

“But we are not just focusing on the medical side, we are actually focusing on the overall experience for the patient. The more relaxed they are, the more things they are able to do and the more of a holiday they get it improves their chances of IVF, or any of the other medical procedures available. We are very interested in getting involved with organisations such as ATEC to promote health tourism.”

Mr Yek said that he was hoping to attract 500 patients in the first twelve months and to double that number within three years. He said that the benefits of Health and Wellness tourism extended to both the medical and the tourism aspects of the service.

“There is a demand, a niche market for promoting this sort of service to the higherend clientele, whereby they can just go away for two or three weeks and say ‘we are just going on holidays to Cairns’, and no one is any the wiser,” Mr Yek said.“If you think of it if they come to Cairns for that length of time they have to stay somewhere, spend money, it brings more business to the region. “[IVF is] still at the point where people go for a multi-week treatment, blood tests and so on every second day and then have to dash off to work. By venturing towards health tourism we are giving the patient a different option. They can actually go away for two or three weeks and get away from it all, and if we are able to provide that extra

atx: analysis Health and wellness tourist volumes India, 2007: 450,000 health and wellness tourists Thailand, 2006: 1.2 million medical tourists Singapore, 2006: 410,000 medical tourists Malaysia, 2006: 300,000 health and wellness tourists Source: Deloitte report: Medical Tourism; 2007

level of service and hopefully reduce that stress factor that would probably increase the success rate.”

According to KPMG demographer Bernard Salt, the ageing of the ‘baby boomer’ market in traditional Western tourism markets means the demand for Health and Wellness tourism services is going to skyrocket. He said that this incudes everything from cosmetic surgery to ‘health audits’.

“Baby boomers go on a holiday, and part of the holiday involves some form of medical procedure – it might be a facelift, or botox, a tummy tuck, something like that and the theory is that they don’t necessarily have to disclose what they are doing to their friends and family,” Mr Salt said.

“They simply return home from that holiday four weeks, five weeks later and everyone says ‘well don’t you look great’ for having been on a holiday! I think that appeals to baby boomers. They don’t have to admit to it.”

“I think there are two levels to this. Come to Thailand or to Cairns for effectively a health audit. You are having a break, you are having four weeks off, there is nothing particularly

wrong but while you are there you might have a complete check up”.

“It sits with the mindset of baby boomers; having outsourced a lot of their duties – cooking, cleaning, gardening and so forth why not outsource and combine very efficiently a holiday with a retreat with wellness and running repairs around the edges?” Mr Salt said.

Mr Salt said that the obvious place for Australia to start would be in Japan. He said that the decline in Japanese inbound visitors to Australia may not be so much about destination fatigue as the traditional market shrinking.

“I think the market opportunities in Japan could well be for quite aged tourists,” Mr Salt said.“If you were to package something up – and I am quite serious about this – for 75-85 year olds I think that’s a segment that probably has not been focused on previously. They are well to do, they would certainly have special needs. I think that there is money to be made in tourism in picking off a niche that has not been looked at seriously before.”

Many traditional medical tourism destinations such as Thailand and India compete on price – patients can have procedures performed there for a fraction of the price they would be charged in the United States or Western Europe. However Doug Yek said that Health and Wellness was more than just about price – and that Australia has what it takes to compete on its own terms.

“Recently I was in India and China, and while the medical facilities there are good, once the patient gets over there, once they start wandering around on holiday it is a bit different,” Mr Yek said.“ Just walking out on the street you have to worry about hygiene, cleanliness, all sorts of things, and really it’s a stressful experience.”

PATA regional director Chris Flynn agreed, saying that Australia’s geography and unique destinations gave it a potential advantage over traditional medical tourism hubs such as Singapore. ““One of the great opportunities I see here is the fact that we are one of the few countries that have the opportunity to do both things – both the medical tourism (surgical or whatever) and the rejuvenation or recuperation side of the argument as well” Mr Flynn said.“ The average stay of all tourists would be lengthened.”

However he said that the Australian tourism industry would have to get organised quickly if it didn’t want to be left further behind traditional market players such as Costa Rica, Singapore and Malaysia.

“The Phillipines has produced a medical tourism guidebook that is targeted at the European traveler. In Korea they have got a medical tourism promotion policy which is basically there to look at new planning for medical institutions, particularly for international patients,” Mr Flynn said.

“In Taiwan, the government has just announced a $318 million project to help further develop the country’s medical services, again leading toward international

Percentage of each age group considering traveling overseas for medical treatment Seniors: 29.1% Baby boomers: 36.7% Gen X: 42% Gen Y: 51% Source: Deloitte report: Medical Tourism; 2007

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atx: analysis tourism. In Malaysia, the government has increased the allowance to stay under a medical visa from 30 days to six months.

That’s really laying down the gauntlet.”

Mr Flynn said that it was up to the industry to start carving out profitable niches that would allow it to start attracting new markets, and that Health and Wellness tourism presented the perfect opportunity.

“If we are going to be a yield-based destination, we need to create an environment where we are going to attract that yield,” Mr Flynn said.

“Quite frankly where we are right now where we have seen very little if any new hotels built over the last ten years, where we are seeing product and branding considered to be stale in certain markets, the new environment such as medical tourism offers us a a great opportunity for the future because we are seen as safe, we are seen as clean, we are seen as having all the right skill bases.”

Anna Guillan, Executive General Manager Sales and Marketing of Voyages Hotels and Resorts said that one of the reasons that Health and Wellness tourism wasn’t widely recognised in Australia was due to a lack of local information and industry definitions, leading to confusion.

Ms Guillan, also the Chair of ATEC’s Health and Wellness Tourism Advisory Panel, said that Australia was already a player in the Health and Wellness sector, but due to the lack of organisation and marketing this wasn’t widely recognised.

“[Health and Wellness] is very much unstructured within our current industry.

From an industry perspective it is not really approached as a business segment in the same way that Meetings and Events are, or Leisure business is, or Incentive business is.“ “It’s not really approached in that manner and I think that’s where the Health and Wellness Panel is trying to actually put some definitions around it as a business segment, trying to establish some understanding of its potential importance to us,” Ms Guillan said.

“From that we can create something in which that the industry can actually come together and the true operators in this area, or the businesses that want to operate in this space actually have some type of structure to operate within.“ Experts say one factor that distinguishes the Health and Wellness tourism sector from those such as Business Events or Leisure is that it is largely immune to the vagaries of economic cycles, booms and busts. While this can largely be ascribed to the financial security enjoyed by those desiring medical travel, sometimes it’s a simple biological imperative that forces their hand.

“I would argue that health-related procedures, especially relating to the 50’s and 60s is not going to be that affected by the coming recession,“ said Mr Salt.

“There are a lot of operators out there who are operating very successfully in this area and who are offering health and wellness holidays but they probably wouldn’t consider marketing themselves as that,” Ms Guillan said.

“A lot of people wanting this have already made their money, the people that live this lifestyle. The Baby Boomers are going to come through this relatively unscathed – they are not in retirement at the moment, they are in their fifties, they are still working and they still have the health issues.”

“There are some really good unique opportunities that Australia has in this area and a lot of it is just marketing it into that space and having a structured promotion around it.”

Doug Yek puts it more succinctly.“I know for a fact IVF is a very emotional procedure, and if a female has decided she is going to have a baby she is going to have that baby no

Global Health and Wellness market value: 2008: $60 billion 2010: $100 billion (estimate)

US Health and Wellness volumes: 2005: 500,000 travellers 2007: 750,000 travellers 2010: Six million travelers (estimate) 2017: 16 million travelers (estimate) Source: Deloitte report: Medical Tourism; 2007

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matter what – money is no object.”

Anna Guillan said the Health and Wellness sector needs to be seen from a wider perspective – she said that while it is a distinct travel category with a lot of potential in the future, many tourism operators should already be factoring it into their current considerations.

“I think any resort destination that doesn’t consider the wellness side of tourism as part of the offerings is not really a true resort,” Ms Guillan said.

“When you start seeing those numbers from the US – 750,000 to six million in four years – that is serious growth,” Chris Flynn said.“ I don’t think it is a question of ‘should we’ - I think it’s a more a factor of ‘we can’t afford not to be’ in this sector.”

atx: destination atx: featurefeature

GOLDEN SUCCESS from collaboration

As the smell of high-octane fuel dissipates and the roar of Indy cars fades to be replaced by the crashing waves, the Gold Coast braces for another sizzling summer. As Allan Leibowitz reports, the Queensland holiday spot has come a long way from cheap seaside getaways and even cheaper t-shirts.

The Gold Coast was rated as Australia’s fourth-strongest destination for international visitors in the year to December 2007, comprising almost 20% of all overseas tourists and coming in just behind the Tropical North as the second-most-popular non-capital city destination.

Not bad for a region which only a few years back was dismissed as being on the decline.

The region continues to innovate and upgrade itself in a bid to snare not only a share of domestic travel, but increasingly, international visits.

Take, for example, the recent opening of the vastly-expanded Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, with two new halls and an extra 10,000m2 of exhibition space.

Or O’Reilly’s Mountain Villas and Lost World Spa, a $34 million project incorporating 48 luxury, self-contained two- and threebedroom villas set amongst the natural

rainforest and mountains of Lamington National Park.

And for those who still associate the Coast with a cheap self-catered apartment holiday, the new Meriton Pegasus at Broadbeach, opened a couple of months ago, adds worldclass allure to DIY accommodation, boasting five stars in the coast’s fashion and food hub.

According to Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter, in an effort to remain relevant the Gold Coast has recognised the need to rejuvenate and reinvigorate its product offerings on a regular basis. This re-invention includes some significant infrastructure development including the redevelopment of the Gold Coast Airport, but also hinges on several new programmes such as the Hinterland Tourism Audit and Mapping Project, the Regional Tourism Investment and Infrastructure Plan, and the establishment of the Gold Coast Adventure Travel Group.

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“These have enabled the Gold Coast to discover new methods to attract visitors,” he said.

“The Gold Coast tourism industry has developed over many generations to become one of Asia-Pacific’s strongest and most robust,”Winter explained, attributing much of the success to strong collaboration between tourism authorities, local government and industry players.

“The commercial advantage of collaboration has been recognised as the industry has fought through the difficult times and capitalised upon the boom times year after year.

“The work of Gold Coast Tourism in this industry is not only to provide a voice and argument for the hundreds of tourism operators, but also to provide an overarching strategy to maintain key markets and grow new markets for the future of the industry,” he said.“ In doing this, we deliver activity and opportunities which can be accessed by all operators, competing or non-competing, which aim to deliver against the overall objectives of the industry which is to increase visitation and visitor expenditure in the Gold Coast region for the benefit of all industry businesses.”

Of course, it helps to have a fighting fund, and in the case of the Gold Coast, the coffers continue to be topped up thanks to a tourism levy which has been going since the 1970s.

atx: destination atx: featurefeature The levy, applied in addition to council rates, currently kicks in $10 million a year to fund the region’s tourism lifeline. The levy is paid by all commercial businesses in the city, not just those in tourism, because, according to Winter,“ tourism is the major industry within the Gold Coast, delivering benefits across the entire economy”.

The city council estimates that tourism contributes more than $2.3 billion to the regional economy and employs more than 44,000 people, so it makes sense to nurture the industry and the operators.

Events

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While the Gold Coast Indy (soon to be replaced by another high-profile motor racing event) has grown into the region’s best-known event, the Gold Coast is no onetrick pony.

The annual Magic Millions Carnival attracts equestrian enthusiasts from around the world and next year will boast over 40 associated events. Once described as “the Melbourne Cup in shorts”, the event has become a key feature on the horseracing calendar.

The Carnival is exactly the type of major event which Gold Coast Tourism courts.

“Some of the potential benefits associated with hosting major events can include investment in local infrastructure, increased visitation and an injection of new funds from visiting tourists,”Winter explained. “The Gold Coast recognises these benefits and actively seeks events that will bring these positive outcomes for the region.”

Over the next 12 months, the region will host a variety of events, including the 2009 ANZ Ladies Masters, played at its permanent

home, the Royal Pines Resort. Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf, the Masters is the cornerstone of Ladies Professional Golf in Australia with some 20 countries represented.

Australasian Podiatry Conference in May. And, adding pleasure to the combat of pain, the Gold Coast will also be the venue for the International Dental Congress on Modern Pain Control in October, also scheduled to bring in 500 delegates.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro return to Snapper in February, bringing with them not only the world’s top surfers, but also armies of fans, media and support teams.

Readings says events such as these stem from the close collaboration with Gold Coast Tourism. “Gold Coast Tourism is very supportive, particularly with familiarisations, site tours and international bid presentations,” she said.

Still in the water, the 2009 Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in May promises to be the largest display in the Asia-Pacific region, with 455 exhibitors already confirmed. During the event, over 400 boats will be on the water, together with hundreds of others and marine products on display in pavilions.

Sporting highlights for 2009 will include the annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon, Australia’s fastest, flattest course with a top elevation of just 15m above sea level.

The course winds its way from Southport along the world-renowned Gold Coast coastline to Miami, passing through Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. The trip home follows the coastline up along the famous Broadwater in the north before turning for the homeward journey.

In August, the region will host the 2009 World Transplant Games, the world’s largest organ-donor-awareness event, while September will see the ITU Triathlon World Championships accompanied by one of the biggest Sport and Lifestyle Expos in the Southern Hemisphere.

That event will be held at the recently revamped GCCEC, and centre General Manager Adrienne Readings expects around 2500 delegates. It will be the biggest of a trifecta of health and medical gatherings next year, with the centre putting its best foot forward for 500 podiatrists at the

According to Readings, it’s a two-way street, and her facility is an essential part of the Gold Coast’s success.

“There are people who believe that leisure travellers bring conferences. We actually believe the opposite,” she said.“How many times have you been on a conference and thought ‘I must come back for a holiday’?”

Just as Readings sees a link between her facility and leisure operators on the coast, David Luxton, general manager - sales and marketing at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, sees huge benefits in being in an area heavily-serviced by tourism operators, which he says creates “a very vibrant tourism industry which is the perfect breeding ground for new ideas and product”.

Shining performance: Gold Coast statistics* Total international visitors: 849,000, up 2% Total international visitor nights: 8 million, up 8% Average length of stay: 9.5 nights, up 0.5 nights International holiday visitors: 674,000, up 3% International visiting friends or relatives: 120,000, up 1% International Business visitors: 43,000, up 2% Total international expenditure: $940 million, up 2% Spend per visitor: $1107, stable Spend per night: $116, down 6% *Year ended June 2008, Source: Tourism Queensland

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atx: destination atx: featurefeature New direct air links, especially with AirAsia X’s Kuala Lumpur hub, have made the Gold Coast more accessible to visitors from South East Asia, China and India – and indirectly provided cheaper passage from Europe.

“Particularly when breaking into new markets, collaboration is absolutely vital – agents and wholesalers need to know how their customers can get to the destination, where they can stay, what they can do and how they get around,” Luxton explained.

“Collaboration between product helps provide this bigger picture which makes a destination all the more attractive and accessible for travellers.”

Officer of Gold Coast Airport, there’s been a seven percent growth in international passengers over the past five years. “In the last year alone (2007-08), we have experienced an impressive 51% increase. This is due to the recent addition of AirAsia X as well as new and increased capacity from our other international airline partners, Pacific Blue, Jetstar and Air New Zealand,” he said.

Darren Wright, AirAsia X General Manager Australia, says the airline recently celebrated its first birthday, notching up 220,000 passenger movements between the Coast and Malaysia.

The low-cost carrier is about to boost capacity by 20 percent over the holiday season.

Wright says while the airline doesn’t have firm statistics, he believes 65% of passengers stay in the South East Queensland and Northern NSW area, many of them remaining on the Coast.

“The Gold Coast, unlike any other city in Australia, is unique in that its lifeblood is tourism,” he said. “In a city with so many tourism products, it is important that everybody is singing the same message and selling the destination first, building relationships with trade second and promoting individual product third. The collective weight of Gold Coast Tourism, Tourism Queensland and operators ensures a strong message of diversity and unique features to the consumer and trade.”

Improved Access

..................................

There’s no doubt that the growth in international flights into the Gold Coast has played a significant role in the resurgence of the tourist strip.

According to Paul Donovan, Chief Operating

..................................

New direct air links, especially with AirAsia X’s Kuala Lumpur hub, have made the Gold Coast more accessible to visitors from SouthEast Asia, China and India – and indirectly provided cheaper passage from Europe.

This has assisted the Gold Coast to shake off the image of busloads of Japanese tourists being herded from one Japanese-owned shop to the next. While Japanese are still well-represented in the visitor numbers, accounting for 123,000 visitors in the last financial year, China is emerging as a growth market. Last year, the Gold Coast attracted 116,000 Chinese. New Zealand, of course, remains the dominant source market, with almost a quarter of a million Kiwis crossing the ditch last year.

But operators are working with authorities to exploit new markets such as the Middle East and oil-rich Gulf states.

Tourism Queensland chief executive officer Anthony Hayes said local tourism operators have re-invented themselves to meet the special cultural requirements of Arab visitors.

He cites apartment operators including ‘arrows’ in the rooms pointing to Mecca for prayer times while theme parks and attractions like the Harbour Town shopping mall have added prayer rooms.“Halalprepared food is readily available and an inbound operator specialising in the Gulf market has initiated buses on the Coast to transfer Arabs to the Mosque for prayer times,” he explains.

This is a view shared by Peter Doggett, international relationship manager at Warner Village Theme Parks & Sea World Resort.

The regional tourism promoter has done an exception job of aligning competing attractions and operations to a common goal of boosting tourism to the Gold Coast.

As Erin Rolfe, international sales manager at Dreamworld and WhiteWater World explains, GCT has managed to get all the players to put the city first. “You need to firstly have people considering the destination before we can confirm product,” she said, adding that this joint approach also keeps the destination exciting with new options and products.

Changing visitor profile

Donovan sees the increased capacity into the Gold Coast as “a huge drawcard for our international inbound passengers”, stressing the importance of tourists being able to commence their holiday the minute they step off the plane.

The airport is currently undergoing a $100 million terminal redevelopment which is due for completion mid-2010. This redevelopment, which will double the current terminal size, will see Gold Coast Airport become Australia’s first purpose-built low-cost carrier terminal.

“The redevelopment has been designed with our airline partners in mind, incorporating common-user check-ins and a central baggage system as well as numerous other design elements to support the low cost carrier model of fast aircraft turnarounds,” said the airport chief.

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Tourism Queensland has consistently marketed in the Gulf region for the past 13 years. This consistency is reaping rewards for the Gold Coast region with visitor numbers from the Gulf increasing and yield far exceeding some more traditional markets.

While the state tourism body uses its network of international offices and overseas representatives to sell the region, the local body also takes a role in international promotion. Winters says GCT works directly with wholesalers in-market and has representation in New Zealand, the UK, China and Singapore which services all of SE Asia.

“One of the primary roles of our regional offices is to engage with trade and work with them to promote the destination through education and co-operative activity,’ he explained. “In markets where we do not have representation, GCT works very closely with Tourism Queensland’s regional offices who engage with trade on our behalf; however GCT does travel into each market on a regular basis, and is involved in sales missions with products from the region.”

atx: destination atx: featurefeature Lessons to be learned

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Other regions can learn a lot from the Gold Coast experience. The first lesson is to clean up the industry. GCT’s Winter points out that the Gold Coast has managed to shake off its prior tarnished image through collaboration which included tighter regulation in the licensing and checking of inbound tourism operators by the Queensland state government through amendments to the Tourism Services Act. “Queensland was the first state to introduce legislation to crack down on poor practices and the model remains the template for other states,” he says.

Other regions can learn a lot from Gold Coast events, in particular the importance of developing long-term strategies for event promotion...

The second major lesson is the value of working together. “Collaboration” was the buzzword among all the players who spoke to atx: Magazine.

The strategic collaboration approach was instrumental, according to Wright, in AirAsia X’s decision to choose the Gold Coast as its first destination.

“Gold Coast Airport, Gold Coast Tourism, Tourism Queensland, Northern Rivers Tourism and other industry operators have been extremely supportive of our operation,” he said. This collaboration recently led to Tourism Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism working with the airline to promote the Gold Coast at Malaysia’s largest travel fair, MATTA 2008.

Dreamworld’s Rolfe praised GCT for its strong, innovative and inclusive marketing initiatives ranging from consumer-direct efforts to media and trade marketing. “Additionally, it promotes and supports the destination as an international-friendly city with many cultures and countries visiting us annually,” she said.

TQ’s Hayes, meanwhile, sees a lesson in the “continual alignment of marketing strategies between the tourism industry, in particular the regional tourism organisations and the state tourism organisation”.

Other regions can learn a lot from Gold Coast events, in particular the importance of developing long-term strategies for event promotion, according to Winter. He said it is also critical to have people with a passion to drive them in a very competitive world.

“Deliverability is the key to success; the teamwork of the Gold Coast is the envy of the industry in Australia,” he said. “It is the intention of the Gold Coast to chase more events as they drive the tourism dollar and expose the destination’s attributes.”

And while other regions may learn the lessons, they can’t replicate the 70km of golden sand, the concentration of theme parks, the proximity to mountain escapes – nor the friendly locals who understand the importance of tourism.

At a local level, there have been efforts by the Gold Coast City Council to improve the street-scaping and infrastructure development to enhance public amenities and parklands.

Winter is also proud of the Centre Improvement programme, which has boosted the ambience and liveability of key centres throughout the Gold Coast. “This, in turn, serves to attract better-quality investors and tenants willing to pay higher rates,” he said, adding that Surfers Paradise now boasts major retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Hermes and Gucci “where once the precinct was better known for tacky t-shirt shops”.

World First, World Class The Gold Coast boasts the biggest, the best and the most unusual: • The largest subtropical rainforest remnant in the world and more than 100,000ha of nature reserves and World Heritage sites.

• The most extensive Antarctic Beech cool temperate rainforests in Australia and Australia’s most biologically diverse city.

• The largest professional life guard service in Australia.

• The largest concentration of themed attractions in the southern hemisphere.

• Some of Australia’s largest duty free outlets and shopping centres.

• One of the highest partner participation rates in conferences in Australia.

• One of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.

Source: Gold Coast Tourism

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atx: product feature experiences, they can be immersed into a unique, ‘living guidebook’ to the wildlife of the region with a strong local character.

Part of enhancing this local flavour also involves providing accessible and authentic indigenous experiences and interpretation.

The appointment of Graham Blanco as full-time Indigenous Liaison Officer ensures the integrity of Currumbin’s indigenous experiences which now include two cultural performances each day with Bush Tucker

tours and other interpretative opportunities.

The night-time Wildnight Adventure also provides a further opportunity to experience an indigenous cultural performance.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s natural development A range of new product and experiences being launched in December 2008 will bring Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast closer to the goal of being Australia’s leading eco-friendly and sustainable wildlife adventure park.

In the case of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, its unique origins and its status and a National Trust property have allowed it to remain largely undeveloped as one of the Gold Coast’s last remaining patches of coastal rainforest. Located 30 minutes

This has contributed much of Currumbin’s appeal with displays, shows and tours allowing guests to get closer to Australia’s wildlife within these natural surroundings.

For many visitors, the ability to hold a koala, hand feed free-ranging kangaroos and feed the wild flocks of lorikeets are highlights of their visit.

While these iconic species will always be high on the list for international visitors, the launch of the Green Cauldron Experience in December 2008 is part of the vision to develop a more focused wildlife collection which allows visitors to understand the unique environment surrounding the Currumbin area.

Currumbin is on the coastal fringe of Australia’s Green Cauldron which has its heart in the Wollumbin Caldera, an ancient volcanic crater where Mt Warning towers over a landscape of world-heritage rainforests, spectacular escarpments and striking beaches where lava flows have created the scenic headlands of the southern Gold Coast.

south of Surfers Paradise and a short walk from Currumbin Beach, the Sanctuary is a 27-hectare green oasis.

For both domestic and international visitors, the launch of the Green Cauldron Experience at Currumbin means that rather that being presented with generic Australian wildlife

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For many international visitors to the Gold Coast, this means they can experience Australia’s natural and indigenous heritage all in the one day, while also having the opportunity to experience the stunning beaches and natural beauty of the southern Gold Coast.

For adventure seekers, Currumbin is also launching the Extreme Green Challenge, in association with Adventure Parc, in December 2008.

The Extreme Green Challenge is an exciting treetop ropes course through Currumbin’s bushland areas and is based on the Adventure Parc concept which takes elements of commando training and makes them safe, fun and exciting.

While retaining the natural, bushland surroundings, the course involves cable ladders, rope bridges and a giant flying fox amongst the 14 challenges to be launched as part of Stage 1 in December. An expanded, 68-challenge course will be launched in June 2009, taking the attraction to a new level.

With its appeal spanning across families, adventure travellers and corporate and incentive travellers, the Extreme Green Challenge significantly broadens the range of experiences at Currumbin, while also continuing to immerse visitors into the region’s natural beauty.

In Tasmania, my space isn’t a website.

Here, your space is waiting for you around every corner. From untamed wilderness, to rich living history to the fiery rock landscaped coastlines, Tasmania offers so many spaces to inspire your travel desires.

You can walk miles through breathtaking scenery without passing a soul, then arrive at your very own majestic haven.

But you’re never really alone, as Tasmania provides an incredible variety of unique wildlife interactions. While you are surrounded by such unspoilt wilderness, there are plenty of opportunities to spoil yourself.

Luxurious accommodation combined with the mountains of fresh produce and mouth-watering cool-climate wines ensure that at the end of a day’s adventuring, you’ll find yourself well and truly pampered.

To discover why the Bay of Fires was selected as the number one region in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel guide book contact your Tasmanian International Representative on +61 3 6230 8235 or visit discovertasmania.com

atx: profile feature

Michelle O’Byrne

Tasmania Minister for Tourism

Australia’s newest State Tourism Minister has big ambitions for her small market.

Michelle O’Byrne was given the Tourism portfolio in September, augmenting her Environment, Parks, Heritage and Arts, Sport and Recreation ministerial roles. She sees tourism as a “beautiful fit”,because the environment, sports and cultural events each play a vital role in attracting visitors to the island state.

“I’ve always had a great interest and passion for the tourism industry, especially watching how it’s grown in Tasmania over the last 10 years,” the Minister said, citing the doubling of tourism-related businesses.

She’s also mindful of the huge impact tourism has on her state due to the decentralised nature of Tasmania’s population.

“Tourism has a big impact on regional communities and you notice the change very quickly,” Ms O’Byrne said, drawing on her experiences as an organiser for the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

Given the lack of international gateways attracting international visitors to Tasmania is clearly challenging, but the Minister is buoyed by her region’s distinctive character which differentiates it so much from the rest of Australia.

“Tasmania is different from the other experiences,” Ms O’Byrne said. These differences are being exploited in the new TV advertising campaign around the theme “Tasmania, The Movie” – a spoof of the Baz Luhrman blockbuster which highlights northern Australia.

“We need to do that because Australia the movie is about an incredible landscape – a landscape which is fundamentally different from that which Tasmania offers,” she said.

Clearly, Tasmania will always predominantly be a domestic destination, but Ms O’Byrne recognised a number of “target opportunities” for international promotion.“We’ve got to be a lot cleverer about the way we market internationally … and target people who want to have a different type of experience,” she said.

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The Minister said Tasmania is working with Tourism Australia in its targeted international marketing and participates in promotions like G’Day USA. However she was uncertain about the future of such initiatives, given the current economic turmoil in the United States, and is keeping a “watching brief” on that market.

Improving tourist access remains a major challenge, and the Minister said Tasmania has to go to the airlines with a business case that stacks up, rather than expecting them to take a punt on new routes. On that front, she claims some significant inroads, with visitor numbers increasing to the point where Ms O’Byrne is confident the state will soon see a million visitors in a single year – a doubling of the arrivals just a decade ago.

Maintaining high standards is vital for Tasmania’s clean, green tourism image, and the new Minister stressed that “when we promise an experience, we have to deliver on that”.She said that this is why Tasmania has had tourism accreditation since the 1990s.

Ms O’Byrne welcomed any plans for industry accreditation and standardisation “provided we don’t see the schemes that are working well unpicked”.

“The cost of (accreditation) may be an issue, of course, and I’d like to see funding support to ensure a quality programme,” she said.

Besides the one-millionth arrival in a year, the Minister’s main ambition is to see local tourism operators embrace the e-commerce wave. With Tasmania recently expanding its fibre-optic network, Ms O’Byrne saw great opportunities for expanding the presence of online travel marketing and distribution in the marketplace.

A parallel thrust is the roll-out of Wi-Fi hotspots, with a trial currently under way in Hobart.

The Minister is full of optimism about her region and is urging government peers to remain upbeat in the current economic climate.“We need to make sure that we are continually investing in those things which grow our economy,” Ms O’Byrne said.“I think tourism is proven to be a driver of our economy. When government are making decisions about investment, I’d like to make sure tourism is not overlooked”.

-Allan Leibowitz

yearbook2008

atx: cover story “The facilities are state-of-the-art and compare very favourably to many other destinations in Australia,” she said.

Alongside the new convention centre, the city’s waterfront redevelopment is also home to new Vibe, Medina and Mantra hotels.

“Darwin is a real surprise,” said Ms Wighton.

“It has an amazing feel about it; it is very cosmopolitan and sophisticated but still down-to-earth.”

“The commitment from Tourism NT for our Symposium has been enormous from the beginning, and our Destination Showcase will give local operators the chance to use a creative and fun event to showcase the region.”

Ms Wighton said ATEC was working with as many operators as possible on pre- and posttours in both the Top End and Red Centre for Inbound Tour Operators.

As the largest event on ATEC’s annual calendar, Symposium is expected to attract at least 550 members, as well as assorted media, politicians, industry VIPs and corporate partners.

ATEC SYMPOSIUM 2009 If you think you know Darwin, think again.

That’s the message from ATEC’s 2009 ATEC Symposium, to be held in the capital of Australia’s Top End, says Lee Milne With the theme “Trading through troubled times…the journey to recovery”, Symposium 2008 promises an outstanding conference program, including keynote speakers such as crisis and disaster-management expert Peter Baines and inspirational author Yossi Ghinsberg.

is likely to provide a pleasant surprise for delegates.

ATEC National Events and Sponsorship Manager Kelly Wighton said the choice of Darwin for the 2009 Symposium was a great decision by the ATEC board, and one which

Darwin’s new convention centre facilities were a major factor in deciding to hold the conference in the Northern Territory capital for the first time in the event’s 32-year history.

“Darwin is putting all its energy into Symposium, and this is likely to be the biggest tourism event the city will host for years,” Ms Wighton said.

The conference program will include ATEC’s industry leading business-tobusiness workshops and a host of social networking events.

Crisis and disaster-management expert Peter Baines has developed great experience in managing numerous crisis situations. During a police career spanning more than 20 years, Peter experienced some of the world’s worst natural disasters and acts of terrorism. He has led national and international teams following the Bali bombings, the Waterfall train disaster and the Boxing Day tsunami.

These experiences allow him to offer insights into what it takes to lead with conviction and compassion under extraordinary circumstances, and to share what it really takes to achieve results in times of unrelenting change.

Yossi Ghinsberg is author of Jungle and Laws of the Jungle. Yossi’s inspirational messages are based on his amazing personal

“Our land has big story.

Sometimes we tell a little bit at a time.

Come and hear our stories, see our land.

A little bit might stay in your hearts.”

Jacob Nayinggul, Traditional Owner, 7.03pm

enchaNTed See you at Symposium, Darwin ‘09

KAKADU NATIONAL PARK AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK, NORTHERN TERRITORY

For more travel info visit www.australiasoutback.com

atx: cover story DARWIN WATERFRONT For the Larrakia people, Darwin’s traditional owners, the city’s harbour is where they have welcomed visitors for centuries.

Today, the transformation of the Darwin Waterfront has given a new face to the city, one which aims to continue that tradition of welcome. experience when he survived the uncharted Amazon jungle alone for 20 days, after losing his three companions.

His first book Jungle, based on this incredible adventure, became an international bestseller and Discovery Channel has recently released a feature length docudrama based on Yossi’s story called Escape from the Amazon.

Yossi will speak about survival and the ability to take vision and turn it into reality.

Other speakers will include Federal Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson and Tourism NT chief executive Maree Tetlow, who will talk on “Selling the North”,outlining the emergence of northern Australia as a tourist destination.

Breakout sessions will include topics such as “Destination Marketing”,“ Aviation and Infrastructure”, “Education Tourism” and “Indigenous Tourism”.

A session on “Direct Marketing in the Digital World” by Malcolm Auld, principal of Malcolm Auld Direct will debunk some digital myths, Show people are really using the internet, show what impact social networks are having on websites, explain why most email doesn’t get read, viral marketing, testing, SMS, digital voice, social networks, blogs and more.

The Darwin Waterfront project is the redevelopment of a 25-hectare former industrial site into a vibrant business, tourism and recreation hub which is just minutes from the city centre and connected by a pedestrian footbridge.

A key feature of the project is the Darwin Convention Centre, which looks to the city from the edge of the Arafura Sea. The 1500seat centre will be the venue for the ATEC Symposium 2009.

Developed by the Northern Territory government in partnership with private developers, the $1 billion Darwin Waterfront project is expected to provide a major boost to business and tourism in the Top End. More than 86 per cent of the project – around $900 million - is being funded by the private sector to develop the hotels, restaurants and apartments. The government’s investment of $149 million has paid for the Darwin Convention Centre and other community infrastructure.

The convention centre, which opened in June, features flexible and adaptive spaces to cater for meetings, banquets, conventions, exhibitions and concerts.

The centre has already hosted more than eight events, attracting 44,000 delegates.

These have included conventions,

banquets, a concert playing to 1800 people, an exhibition by the Boating Industry Association NT with 10,000 visitors, the National Careers Expo, a wedding with 1100 guests, and an Aboriginal Art Fair.

It is expected to generate an additional $193 million in tourism spending for Darwin over the next 20 years.

Northern Territory Convention Bureau manager Lynn Fairbrass said the opening of the centre had given Darwin the opportunity to attract events that would not have otherwise considered the city due to a need for a purpose-built convention centre or large exhibition space.

“The benefit of this additional business has had a flow-on effect throughout the destination from tourism operators to transport providers and offsite venues,” she said.

With 22,900 square metres of floor space, the centre has Plenary Hall seating for 1500 people, the ability to partition into two equal spaces, an Exhibition Hall with capacity for up to 225 exhibition booths or 3000 delegates theatre-style, function rooms which can cater for up to 630 people theatre-style or 420 people attending a banquet, and meeting rooms that can cater for 70 to 170 people theatre-style.

Darwin Waterfront is also expected to be a hub for locals, with a wave lagoon, artificial beach, gardens, restaurants, 1400 apartments and two hotels.

The huge wave lagoon – the first of its kind in Australia – is able to generate different wave types, including a wave height of more than 1.2 metres, suitable for board riders.

Along with a lagoon and a toddlers’ wading pool, the water features will give Darwin locals and visitors a safe place to cool off without the threat of marine stingers or crocodiles.

Including the still-water toddler area, the wave lagoon will cover 4000 square metres, equivalent to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“I wake up to a view of boats and blue.”

Sophie Koh, musician and Darwinite, 8.45am

vibraNT See you at Symposium, Darwin ‘09

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK, NORTHERN TERRITORY

For more travel info visit www.australiasoutback.com

atx: cover story Another four-hectare water area, protected by a new seawall, will cater to water sports including canoeing, sailing, dragon-boat racing and wind surfing.

About 40 per cent of the Darwin Waterfront land area is designed as public space, with shady parks, bike and walking tracks, a children’s playground, beach and performance areas. Parks, gardens and picnic areas will be available to the public night and day.

An interconnected system of boardwalks will extend over the water, providing public access from the main beach area to Fort Hill Wharf. A dedicated walkway links the Darwin Waterfront to the CBD via a bridge from the end of Smith Street over Kitchener Drive, meeting a glass-sided lift.

Tourism NT’s tourism strategy.

The ‘indigenous tourism hubs’ scheme offers support and training for emerging indigenous tourism businesses and is being developed by Tourism NT after a successful pilot program in eastern Arnhem Land.

The Darwin hub will be run by Ironbark (NT) Employment and Training, a not-for-profit indigenous organisation started by the charity Darwin Regional CDEP, while the Alice Springs hubs will be managed by Discovery Eco Tours, a company with a high level of commitment to indigenous tourism.

The two-stage waterfront development project will also include a new $5 million cruise ship terminal, located on the shoreline adjacent to Fort Hill Wharf. The terminal will become a focal point for the waterfront and provide improved facilities for visiting ships. Tourism NT estimates that the cruise ship industry generates $18 million for the economy each year.

Tourism NT chief executive Maree Tetlow said a twelve-month pilot program in Nhulunbuy (Gove) has shown how the indigenous tourism hubs would work to support newer businesses.

INDIGENOUS TOURISM HUBS

“But what we find with some of the newer product is that people are good at communicating and sharing their stories but require business training and admin support, and building their experience in business areas,” she said.

“The kind of advice the hub will be able to give to visitors, for example, is if a community is closed for a funeral or other business, then the hub will be in a position to tell visitors that there is another option, a different community where they can spend time,” she said.

“The hubs operate as a booking facility but also support those businesses with a level of administration support and local knowledge, and will train someone within those businesses about back-of-house and office functions. They will also provide advice for consumers and the travel trade.”

She said the hubs were likely to have different focuses. “In Darwin, we envisage there will be a lot of potential for entertainment businesses in light of the new convention centre and business opportunities that will arise there.”

A new program is aiming to put indigenouslyowned and managed tourism businesses at the forefront of the NT tourism experience.

Indigenous cultural tourism is a key ‘point of difference’ for the marketing and promotion of the Northern Territory, and the development of indigenous tourism products and experiences is a central part of

Ms Tetlow said there were already more than 80 indigenous tourism products operating in the Northern Territory, many of which are well established and developed.

The scheme is funded by the Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, which has provided $800,000 over two years.

Two more hubs for areas with clusters of indigenous tourism product – Darwin and Alice Springs – have just been contracted.

eNTicing

See you at Symposium, Darwin ‘09

“Why go overseas when your backyard is so beautiful?”

Greg Peckham, Park Ranger, 3.10pm

NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK, KATHERINE AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK, NORTHERN TERRITORY

For more travel info visit www.australiasoutback.com

Each will initially handle eight to 10 emerging businesses. As the first participants gradually develop skills, others will come into the hub for support.

Ms Tetlow said that Alice Springs, with several Aboriginal communities within an hour’s drive of the city, had excellent options for half day or day tours.

Indigenous people make up one-third of the Territory’s population, own approximately half of the land in the Northern Territory and own a majority of the national parks, jointly managed between government agencies and traditional owners.

atx: cover story OUTBACK OFFSETS

nature and culture,” Ms Tetlow said.

Climate change and carbon footprint are words on the lips of increasing numbers of travellers, especially those from Europe and the UK.

The three participating companies Adventure Tours Australia, Connections Safaris and Wayoutback Desert Safaris account for 30 per cent of touring activity in Central Australia.

Aware that the issue of credible and transparent carbon offset and abatement cannot be ignored, the NT tourism industry has tackled the issue head-on with the development of the Northern Territory’s Outback Offsets program.

Launched in September, the pilot program tracks the carbon footprint of three Central Australian touring companies and aims to make them carbon-neutral for the next year.

Tourism NT chief executive Maree Tetlow said her organisation developed the program in response to growing consumer concern about the impact of climate change.

“Nature and culture are the main selling points for our visitors, and about a year ago we began working with a consultant to look at the European and UK markets and using focus groups to determine how important the whole issue was for them,” Ms Tetlow said.

“We found that it was growing in importance, and the three companies involved in the pilot program cater to those more sensitive European markets.”

She said it was determined that the touring sector would need support in working through how to incorporate green credentials and sustainability into their programs.

“The Northern Territory is dependent on good touring product – this is not a ‘fly and flop’ destination – and a lot of it focuses on

“So we knew that carbon trading and carbon-neutral issues were going to become increasingly important and not much had been done about determining what the carbon footprint of touring companies was.

That was our motivation.”

Each operator is working on adapting their business operations and improving environmental practices to reduce their emissions.

Each worked with leading sustainability management company PE International (Australia) to measure their carbon footprint, develop emissions-monitoring plans and calculate required offsets, and to analyse and identify ways to reduce or avoid emissions.

This involved a rigorous Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The focus of the LCA was the tour experience, which included the emissions associated with the preparation of the tours, including mainly the back office and supply of fuels, the tours themselves and the clean-up after the tour.

Collectively, the three operators emit 4492 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year.

To offset these emissions, Tourism NT has purchased 5000 tonnes of carbon credits from LMS Generation Pty Ltd, an Australian Government-approved Greenhouse-Friendly abatement provider. The LMS abatement project from which the carbon credits have been sourced is the Shoal Bay Landfill Gas Generation project in Darwin, which produces electricity from methane gas harvested from waste. It is the first project of its kind in the Northern Territory.

Built by LMS, the plant generates enough electricity to power 1000 homes, equivalent in greenhouse gas emission savings of approximately 9000 cars or planting 3900 trees.

When a customer purchases a tour with any of the three participating operators, an amount of carbon credits equal to the emissions per passenger trip will be automatically included as part of the travel booking at no cost to the customer.

Tourism NT has implemented a reporting system with the operators to record details of trips taken by travellers to ensure carbon emissions are calculated and recorded. At the end of the year the total credits for all travellers with these three operators will be independently verified and the required credits retired.

The program is administered by Tourism NT’s wholesale arm, Territory Discoveries, and has endorsement from WWF Australia.

WWF Australia chief executive Greg Bourne congratulated Tourism NT and the tour operators on the initiative.

“WWF supports this project because it believes that it is very important to establish an independent, transparent and credible programme for small and medium businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Bourne said.

“This collaboration between WWF, government and the tourism industry shows how constructive partnerships can be forged to develop innovative and practical solutions to caring for our planet.

“It demonstrates to the touring public and to industry that we can continue to participate in and enjoy our wonderful natural environment if we simultaneously put in place programmes which help to protect that environment.”

Ms Tetlow said another objective of the pilot program was to test the importance of providing a carbon offset facility for travellers.

At the end of the pilot program, Tourism NT will assess its success and the viability of establishing a carbon offset arrangement for the whole Northern Territory tourism industry.

“It might not be what you are used to at home.

That’s all the more reason to come.”

Jim Cotterill, Modern Day Pioneer, 10.05am

adveNTure

See you at Symposium, Darwin ‘09

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK AUSTRALIA’S OUTBACK, NORTHERN TERRITORY

For more travel info visit www.australiasoutback.com

ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

2008 annual report Rising to the Challenge

of Government inquiries and reviews relating to matters affecting our sector and in the determination of the overall tourism strategy due for release mid next year.

Challenging times are as much a test of member-based organisations as they are of the businesses of their constituent members.

John King, Chairman

In business, those that respond to their customers’ needs and provide the services they are seeking in the most cost-effective way generally succeed, while that those who don’t tend to struggle when things get tough.

Therefore it was timely that earlier this year the ATEC Board spent two days in Margaret River reviewing the role and function of our organisation, in the context of delivering member value. The review was preceded by a random independent survey of members and stakeholders with whom, or through whom, we work.

This process identified areas ATEC needed to address. We also looked beyond individual member businesses to the inbound sector of the tourism industry in its entirety to help identify the most effective role for ATEC in creating long-term strength for export tourism. The review was followed by feedback from members on the draft strategic plan before finalisation.

The mission and role of ATEC has been more clearly defined. ATEC’s overall mission is now: ‘To be a critical part of Australia’s export tourism framework by harnessing the collective entrepreneurial efforts of our members and by adding value to their businesses and the inbound tourism industry’.

It was further decided to define the role of ATEC in a number of key areas. In policy and communication it is to be ‘the voice of inbound tourism’. In providing value to our members it is ‘to be a vital element in our members’ business success’.

For services we provide to members it is ‘to ensure ATEC provides its members with unique, valuable and responsive customer services’. For industry standards – ‘the ATEC brand to be a statement of quality assurance’.

In the area of research and industry development it is ‘to be the industry leader in the research and development of innovative and profitable tourism market opportunities for our members’. For events it is ‘to facilitate and deliver innovative events and forums that will educate and drive profit for our members’. And in the administration of the organisation, it is ‘to pursue continued improvement and efficiency’.

Already these more-clearly-defined roles are being realised in the various programs of the organisation on which I will further elaborate.

The ‘voice of inbound tourism’ has never been stronger and clearer – especially in response to a record number

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We have also been working with our state branches to develop programs to directly assist in more efficient and cost-effective business training programs – particularly involving the services and expertise of some of our corporate partners. We are also developing formallyrecognised business education programs to be offered to our members.

Networking opportunities and other services are continually being refined according to regular member feedback. The promotion of the ‘ATEC’ brand and what it means is being promoted more widely to overseas buyers, and we are heavily-involved in supporting Federal Minister Martin Ferguson’s push for a national accreditation program.

We continue to highlight and initiate new and innovative market initiatives. A new Health and Wellbeing Tourism Advisory Panel has been formed, as we are starting to see serious investment in this emerging sector appear in Australia. Recent international reports underpin ATEC’s early and often isolated confidence in the importance of this sector for our future. ATEC also recently undertook its first mission in many years to South America, and judging by its success other missions will also be undertaken. We have also appointed Jennifer Woodbridge as our first Manager - Industry Development to add to our small head office team.

This is an industry comprising innumerable people and their incredible stories, of investing their lives and their resources in overcoming incredible odds to bring their dreams to reality – and where the results of their efforts appeal to the dreams and brighten the reality of others. Tourism is a resilient industry - and the need for a successful tourism industry is even greater in times like these.

The very nature of this industry requires that it focus on positivity. As operators and marketers of tourism products and experiences you have a very special role to educate, excite, entertain, motivate and inspire other people.

The effectiveness with which you provide and promote those services and experiences will become even more important in the challenging times ahead. Similarly, the effectiveness and the way in which ATEC supports your efforts will become even more important in these circumstances.

John King Chairman

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC md’s report It would be fair to say that ATEC has had a busy year.

In the past twelve months ATEC has advised governments on how best to support the industry, lobbied to influence government policies and kept members informed on the latest market intelligence and developments. Beyond this ATEC broke new ground by investigating the viability of innovative new export markets and opportunities.

Matt Hingerty, Managing Director

One of ATEC’s most exciting achievements in 2008 involved developing new markets. In July ATEC, supported

by Austrade, led a group of members on a two-week trade mission to South America, encompassing Santiago in Chile, Argentina’s Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo in Brazil. The trip featured an itinerary packed with workshops, functions and meetings with government officials, and generated a flurry of attention from local tourist operators. Feedback from our members was overwhelmingly positive, and the positive outlook for this market was franked with the news that Qantas will be flying regular services from South America as of November this year.

The importance of this trade mission to ATEC can’t be overstated – for the first time in more than 30 years the industry decided it was time it went back to its entrepreneurial roots and started assuming some of the risk (and potential rewards) of market development for itself.

In a similar vein ATEC’s work in investigating and developing a Health and Wellness travel sector in Australia is both challenging and rewarding. A recent report by Deloittes quoted in The Economist has predicted that outbound medical travel from the US alone will be worth $US162 billion by 2012.

During the year ATEC set up a Health and Wellness Tourism Panel to investigate and set up a strategic framework to develop the Australian medical tourism industry, and to educate potential stakeholders on its many potential benefits.

Another pleasing development this year was the expansion and maturing of the Young ATEC (YATEC) program, which encourages younger members of the tourism industry to get out and about, make contacts and learn more about the industry. One of tourism’s mostpressing issues is keeping its best and brightest young recruits out of the grasp of the better-funded mining and finance industries. YATEC kicked a significant goal this year with the roll out of its national Mentoring Scheme. This program links industry newcomers with some of tourism’s ‘veterans’ so they can provide career guidance, support, and also pass on a few tricks of the trade. The mentoring program also included a series of educational seminars.

ATEC also hopes to expand its series of ‘Export Ready’ online educational modules in the upcoming year.

ATEC also sent submissions into the numerous reviews being held at the moment in the nation’s capital, including the Luxury Car Tax, the Aviation Review, the Government’s Review of Export Policies and Programs, and the Cutler Review of Innovation. Alongside our partners through atx:magazine

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the National Tourism Alliance, ATEC was also constantly in Canberra building an excellent relationship with the new Rudd Federal Government, especially with Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson.

ATEC also contributed to the climate change debate via a submission to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper. In it we explained that while ATEC considers the introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as inevitable, the very nature of export tourism as a ‘trade-exposed’ industry means that special consideration should be made to assist the sector mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change. ATEC proposed that an industry-driven export tourism innovation fund driven from ETS revenues or from a small proportion of the Passenger Movement Levies would be a good way to achieve this.

Intensive work of this sort in Canberra was also at least partly responsible for ATEC’s role in getting the tourist operator’s exemption from the Federal Government’s Luxury Car Tax. While this was a small but pleasing win, we have a lot to do to ensure that the export tourism industry is regarded at the same level and given the same consideration as that given to the more traditional manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

However ATEC’s overwhelming priority is, and will continue to be, its role in encouraging business-tobusiness contacts amongst its members. As ever we have strived to improve our primary national B2B event, Symposium. ATEC worked harder to showcase the tourism potential of the host city (Newcastle), introduced a tighter, more-focused conference theme and speaking topics and recruited more high-profile presenters.

While we had a big year just finished, ATEC is planning for an even bigger year ahead. We are in the midst of a far-ranging internal corporate review to strengthen our corporate governance, values and standards even further.

ATEC is also investigating the possibility of expanding and formalising our ‘Export Ready’ educational program.

We are also planning another trade mission (destination unknown at this stage), we are looking to dramatically expand the quality and quantity of our online presence, and we are headed to Darwin next year for our next national Symposium conference and series of B2B workshops.

The past year has definitely been one to remember - increasing competition from overseas destinations, higher levels of local regulation and taxation and the global financial crisis are just some of the factors which have created the most challenging business conditions experienced in decades.

Despite this, as ever, ATEC will be front and centre fighting the good fight on behalf of the export tourism industry.

Matt Hingerty ATEC Managing Director

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC branch update North Queensland Branch: The North Queensland branch has experienced another successful year of wonderful events for our members.

The past 12 months have been challenging for everyone and we will continue to have external factors that affect our visitor numbers. Aviation is a critical component in our destinations, without flights and more importantly direct international services we will continue to see a flat or marginal growth for this region.

On a positive note the visitor is still looking for unique, environmentally-sensitive products and the region abounds and excels in making sure we offer sustainable tourism. This Nth QLD area is resilient, and as in the past, we will continue to work together and strive to make sure this region is a focus around the world.

Our local committee has worked hard this year to fulfil its objectives of providing members with a vibrant and viable events program and promoting membership.

Our ninth annual Sydney Showcase was held in February 08 at the Sebel Pier One – a wonderful venue under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We had 67 ITO’s from 27 companies and 28 Suppliers representing our boundary from the Whitsundays through to the Daintree.

The tradeshow was in North Queensland style and after a productive afternoon of workshopping the lights of the Sydney and the harbour came alive as we caught up with new and old friends over a few drinks and nibbles.

In May Don Jolly presented a Time Management & Motivation Course which was targeted to our younger members of ATEC. July’s annual Lawn Bowls day is always a sold-out event.

With 15 teams representing 60 members, the bowls were rolled in a variety of ways, lots of laughing, and the variety of team costumes made for a very enjoyable and fun filled day.

The Downunder Boys were the winners for the second year in a row and will be playing for a hat trick or possibly the hall of fame next year but were closely followed into second place by the Lawn Mowers.

After the last few years of exploring the region, our 9th annual Inbound Up North was held in Cairns in November.

With a full day of workshops, it provided an opportunity to showcase a taste of what Cairns City has to offer with the final event an ‘intimate’ dinner for 100 – all seated at the one table!

We also used the opportunity to present our Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Robbie Bastion of

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Parker Travel Collection. Special guest John King, ATEC Chair did the honours. Robbie was out of town and missed the announcement and presentation at our AGM.

South Queensland Branch: What a year! As we end 2008 the key markets for Southern Queensland are in turmoil and the road ahead is looking rather “murky”.However, in reviewing 2008 the Committee and the branch coordinated a range of events that proved successful for the members and may have helped businesses secure new accounts and opportunities.

Key events included the annual Gold Coast ITO workshop and familiarisation in early March with 40 ITO’s and a similar number of suppliers meeting at the Gold Coast Convention Exhibition Centre. Following this successful event the ITO’s participated in a specially-designed series of familiarisations subject to their different market segments.

The branch also developed a series of member networking events in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The events gave members the opportunity to hear the latest on key industry issues from member experts, such as online distribution, new airline members such as Air Asia, review new or updated properties and most importantly network with ITO’s and the industry in general.

The branch manager also ran a series of goal-setting workshops, ‘Kick Start’, for YATEC members throughout the year in Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The branch is also actively supporting the YATEC mentoring program with four “mentees” under the guidance of experienced industry members The annual Southern Queensland ITO workshop & familiarisation was held in Caloundra in mid-September with 35 ITO’s and a similar number of suppliers meeting at the Crowne Plaza Pelican Waters Golf Resort & Spa. Following this successful event the ITO’s went on famils to Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Capricorn, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.

At the time of writing the branch is busy preparing for the final event of the year, the premier of the movie Australia on Wednesday 26 November.

Thanks to the Committee, all members and the ITO’s for a successful year and all the best for for a successful 2009!

South Australia Branch: This year started off with a bang following a great 2007. A major initiative was the signing of the first-ever Memorandum of Understanding between the SA Tourism

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

branch update...cont. the whole South Australian tourism industry.

Commission and the ATEC SA branch. This formalised a joint agreement between us on a variety of programmes and activities in which we can help each other achieve our respective goals. This means that we don’t have to renegotiate the terms of our involvement in every project as it comes up.

Northern Territory Central Branch:

In October last year we held our AGM during the lunch-break at our inaugural inbound symposium. This symposium, held at the National Wine Centre, was a great success and definitely our biggest achievement for the last twelve months. More than one hundred delegates attended and we were able to secure an outstanding lineup of expert presenters, including PATA’s Chris Flynn, TA’s Matt Cameron-Smith, Inga Afheldt from ATS Pacific, Peter Colahan from Business Tourism Australia, Peter Bakker from Travel Leisure magazine and Matt McKinley from consultancy Koolivoo.

Our first event after last year’s annual general meeting was a member’s only networking lunch with Tourism NT’s international managers in November. A week later we held another member’s only networking function combined with our end-of-year Christmas get-together, with a combined group of seven major ITOs visiting the Territory on a product famil. This was at the Sounds of Starlight Theatre, and we thank Andrew and Sam for their outstanding hospitality and entertainment on the night.

In April Discover SA travelled to Kangaroo Island and we were again able to excite the interstate ITOs with a distinctive location and a relevant and enthusiastic group of product sellers at the workshop.

July found us hosting the staff of Goway Travel from Sydney at a very enjoyable function held at the Metal & Stone jewellery gallery in Grenfell Street.

In August we welcomed a large contingent from ATS Pacific to Adelaide at an ATEC networking function at the Apothecary Bistro. These events provide a great opportunity for the ITOs to meet new people, learn about new products and build their business relationships. Later that month we presented an online marketing seminar at the Sebel Playford, with Jesse Desjardins from Global Gossip as the speaker. Over 50 people attended this event, which we opened up to the backpacker sector as well.

Just a day after the online seminar, ATEC was back in action with another ITO networking event with the staff from Sydney-based Southern World Australia. This was held in the fabulous First Bar at the Richmond Hotel in Rundle Mall.

The SA branch currently has 62 members. However the task of recruiting new members has certainly been made more difficult in the face of the many economic difficulties and uncertainties which now confront the inbound industry.

At this year’s AGM we were pleased to honour Paul Brown for winning the SA branch award for “most outstanding contribution to ATEC”. Paul and Mandy Brown’s Kangaroo Island Wilderness Tours is at the forefront of Kangaroo Island’s inbound tourism development and Paul is an influential, enthusiastic and extremely active champion for

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Once again there was plenty happening throughout the year with an emphasis on some valuable ITO networking functions.

In March this year we held a third member’s only networking night with a mixed-famil group of ten ITOs. This was a well-attended “ride and dine” event, including a sightseeing coach tour around Alice Springs, courtesy of Dysons/Cobb & Co, followed by dinner at Voyages Alice Springs Resort. Our most recent event was in August at QC Restaurant with Tourism NT’s international public relations managers.

On the membership front, we currently have 18 members.

While we are the second-smallest of the nine ATEC branches, we are definitely very active and membership numbers have remained constant. The retention of all existing members is a key focus as the committee delivers its continuing programme of activities into 2009.

After three years of consecutive service as branch chair, Warwick Rock stood down from the position at the October AGM. We are very pleased, however, that Rocky has agreed to remain on the committee and I would like to record our thanks for the contribution he continues to make to the tourism industry in the Territory and for the time and energy he has given as chair of ATEC’s Central Australian branch.

The current committee has agreed on some major goals and tasks to take us forward. Firstly, recruitment and retention of members. Secondly, a programme of regular member-only branch events, and thirdly, to encourage members to attend at least one of ATEC’s major events for the year.

We were very pleased to put forward Daniel Molloy from Aurora Alice Springs for the Young ATEC outstanding achievement award. It was great see him acknowledged with a certificate of appreciation as a winning nominee at the branch level.

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

branch update...cont.

And finally, special congratulations to Chris and Mechelle Collins of Alice Springs Helicopters for winning the prestigious Territory FM Small Business Award in the 2008 Northern Territory Export Awards. This is a well-deserved honour and we are proud that they are amongst our strongest ATEC supporters in Central Australia.

Tony Clementson and Tourism Top End for assisting with circulation of ATEC information and events. My thanks also to this year’s committee for their support during the year and particularly to Louise Kitchingham for her efforts on your behalf.

Victoria / Tasmania Branch:

Northern Territory Top End Branch: This time last year we were being none-too-subtle trying to convince Kelly and her ATEC events team that Darwin was the obvious choice for Symposium 2009.

And wasn’t it exciting to be the winner! The support offered by hotels and transport operators has been fantastic. We have guaranteed all ATEC members a really memorable Symposium in Darwin and I am very confident we will deliver.

Branch membership to date stands at 19 financial members. Our newest member is Nitmiluk Tours and we welcome Clive and Kelly to the branch. We are confident that the pre-Symposium activities will assist us in increasing membership further.

Our branch had a busy schedule of meetings and events during the year. In November a casual mix-and-mingle meeting was held with visiting Tourism NT international managers at the Hanuman.

In December I represented ATEC Top End Branch at Meeting Place and the ATEC AGM. Meeting Place is an excellent networking event combined with half-day workshops, and several Top End Branch members attended.

In March ATEC members attended the NT Muster and were able to meet face to face with all ITOs at each venue - a real bonus for members. April’s Symposium in Newcastle was well represented by Top End Branch members.

May saw a member’s only opportunity to meet with Chris Flynn from PATA, who provided a very interesting overview of tourism in the Asia-Pacific region. In June ATEC deputy MD Gary O’Riordan presented the Export Ready seminar and Kelly Wighton updated members on how they could become part of Symposium 2009. Thanks to Holiday Inn Darwin for hosting this event.

The VIC/TAS branch had a very busy 2008. In January we attended the Australian Open Tennis. This very popular annual event allows suppliers and ITO’s to attend in a Corporate Box at Melbourne and Olympic Parks to watch some fantastic tennis and network with their industry colleagues.

In March we held our ‘cracker-jack’ lawn bowls event, while in June the branch held a Sales Presentation Training course for members. This event was held prior to ATE in order to prepare our Suppliers for their appointments with the buyers. This year we engaged the services of Robin Daubeny, who put together and presented a tailored program especially for ATEC members, focusing on improving their sales skills.

Members of the Vic/Tas Committee and ATEC staff visited Hobart for a day in July to present to current and prospective ATEC members. It was a successful day and thank you to the Hotel Grand Chancellor for sponsoring this event.

The August Famil and Workshop was also very well received. This joint initiative with Tourism Victoria and Tourism Tasmania sees approximately 40 Inbound Tour Operators from around Australia experiencing the best Victoria and Tasmania has to offer. Inbound Operators arrived in Melbourne and were transferred to the Yarra Valley. First on their itinerary were two half days of workshops and a “Welcome to Victoria” dinner held at Chateau Yering Guest House. Following the workshops, the ITO’s departed for the famil component of this event, with one full day of touring in Victoria and two full days touring the fantastic north of Tasmania before flying home.

In 2009 we will continue to work closely where possible with the Central Australian branch, Tourism NT and Tourism Top End by assisting with famils and functions for visiting inbound or international agents.

The branch AGM was held in September at The Waterfront Room, Docklands. This event also included a fantastic lunch and presentation on Dynamic Pricing. The event was sponsored by Southern Star Observation Wheel. Mike Wiggins was nominated for the branch Most Outstanding Contribution Award – congratulations Mike!

Thanks to Tourism NT’s chief executive Maree Tetlow and her international team in Darwin and Sydney for working with our ATEC committee and members to ensure the maximum success of all our activities. Special thanks go to

October’s Spring Racing Carnival is one of the most successful networking events on the Vic/Tas Branch calendar. Attendees were treated to a private room overlooking the track at Flemington Race Course for

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

branch update...cont.

Melbourne Cup Preview Day. The food and wine flowed freely! This event was sponsored by Choice Hotels Australasia.

Thank you very much to outgoing Committee Members Kathie Sikkes, Nicole Hill, Paddy McLeod and Paul Cooper.

A very special thank you also goes out to Ian McDougal and Karen Fraser for their many years of service to the ATEC Vic/Tas Branch as the STO Representatives.

New South Wales Branch: The NSW ATEC branch once again hosted a number of successful events over the past 12 months. The first of these was the NSW Mega Famil in early February and was a successful event with 40 ITOs attending from all over Australia and 61 suppliers showcasing their products. The event featured a day of workshops in Sydney along with a welcome cocktail function and a Gala Dinner at Sydney’s Fort Denison. Following this the ITOs were hosted to two days on the NSW South Coast visiting the great attractions this area has to offer.

a number of educational and social events along with the NSW Mega Famil to ensure that all members are able to showcase their products to relevant sectors and to provide networking opportunities.

Australian Capital Territory Branch: The ATEC ACT Branch hosted a successful ITO famil to Canberra, with 21 ITOs from around the nation visiting the nation’s capital over the weekend of 10 – 12th October . This coincided with the final weekend of Floriade, so visitors got to see not only the full range of Canberra’s best attractions and accommodation but also the spectacular flower festival. Famil highlights included a visit to the National Museum of Australia as well as dinner at Old Parliament House and hot-air ballooning. It is fair to say

The ATEC NSW AGM was once again combined with our popular Trivia Night social event, and this year was held at the elegant Tea Rooms at the Queen Victoria Building. With 150 ATEC members in attendance it was a fun night, with a large percentage of guests partying into the wee hours at the Zeta Bar in the newly-refurbished Hilton Hotel.

The ATEC NSW Tourism Industry luncheon was held on 9th October at the Shangri-la Hotel in Sydney and attracted more than 140 guests. The luncheon featured a panel of six prominent and well-respected industry leaders, including two leading ITOs, three hoteliers and a representative from PATA. The panel were asked about the current state of the industry and how this was affecting their respective businesses, with particular reference to online distribution, competitor destinations and infrastructure investment in Australia. The forum was particularly relevant given the current economic conditions and raised a number of interesting questions from the floor which were hotly debated.

that most ITOs were pleasantly surprised at the amount of fun, exciting product Canberra has to see and do!

The ATEC ACT committee is looking to re-invigorate the branch in 2009. A major aim is to increase international visitation for all members in preparation for the inauguration of Canberra’s international airport in 2010

November’s Melbourne Cup Luncheon attracted more than 70 guests and provided a fun atmosphere in which to watch “the Race that stops a Nation” with industry peers.

The ATEC NSW Committee’s goals for the upcoming year are focused around providing members with true value for their membership. The committee is looking to increase its engagement with the NSW member base in order to identify and deal with issues facing the industry.

Furthermore the NSW Branch will once again be hosting

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

branch update...cont.

Perth and the South West; a networking function during the Australian Tourism Exchange at Rigbys for over 400 buyers and sellers, plus a planning workshop with ATEC National Chair John King to assist in the future direction of the Branch and the preparation of a business plan. We also hosted the ATEC National Board meeting in Yallingup in February and our thanks go to Australia’s South West and Seashells Resort Yallingup for sponsoring this.

ATEC WA is committed to delivering worthwhile events and networking opportunities for Members. Future plans include Christmas networking drinks, a Quiz Night a Mini-Symposium and in conjunction with YATEC, a Great Debate and scholarship. and the Centenary celebrations in 2013. With this in mind the ACT branch is looking to boost its membership base over the next 12 months by hosting a number of educational events.

The first of these events was held on 17th Nov and featured an Export Ready workshop for all Canberra-based tourism operators, the ACT AGM followed by a cocktail event. The event attracted 25 guests and was a great success.

Western Australia Branch: This has been a year of revitalisation for the ATEC WA Branch.

In March Rick Suermondt resigned as ATEC WA Branch Manager and the brach would like to thank Rick for all his efforts during the three years he spent in the role. New Branch Manager Margaret Wilson has had extensive experience in the tourism industry and she has already made significant progress in her eight months in the position.

The ATEC WA Branch held a number of successful events throughout 2008, including Dynamic Pricing workshops in

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In terms of industry involvement throughout the year, ATEC WA Branch was represented on the ATE 2008 Steering Committee and Gas Incident Communication Committee. We also re-developed our working relationship with the Tourism Council of WA and are currently compiling a Memorandum of Understanding with Tourism WA. Following the WA YATEC Branch being suspended last year due to insufficient numbers, I am very pleased to report this year that the branch is thriving with nearly 90 members. This is largely thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm of Chair Leanne Edwards from Intercontinental Perth Burswood and Vice-Chair Kate McCann-Phillips from Seashells. YATEC WA have coordinated a number of activities this year including “Kick Start Your Career” workshop, a couple of networking drink functions, a Mentoring Program, plus a forthcoming Financial Planning Seminar in conjunction with KPMG. Membership is free and provides a range of educational and networking seminars.

We would like to acknowledge Tourism WA for their contribution throughout the year to the WA Branch of ATEC, including regular participation in our committee meetings and use of the Tourism WA boardroom facilities.

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC financial report

2007-2008

The financial year 2007-2008 built on the satisfactory result of the previous two years. The prudential level of financial reserves, set by the National Board at a level of half a million dollars in the bank, was maintained during the year. The Board’s objective is to ensure the continuity of the organisation should an exceptional circumstance intervene. Members can be assured that ATEC can continue to operate effectively, in the medium term, in the case of an unforeseen external event.

processes throughout the year included:

The vision of the Board in 2005 has been validated as we head into a difficult and unclear operating environment in 2009.

• Accountability for financial performance continued to be devolved throughout the organisation. In particular, each branch committed to financial targets for new member recruitment and branch events.

Budget Outcome The year to 30 June 2008 resulted in a surplus of $38,073. Total reserves of $543,489 have been carried forward into the 2008-09 financial year.

ATEC’s revenue grew by $53,186 during the 20072008 year over the previous financial year.

Contributing factors to the positive result for the 2007/08 financial year result included a financiallysuccessful Hunter Symposium and a tight control of overhead costs, which increased by only 0.1%.

Accountability The continuing focus on accountability, transparency and strong financial reporting

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• The internal Audit and Finance Sub-committee meeting on 10 occasions to review the accounts prior to presentation to the Board.

• The organisation continuing to enhance the system of detailed budget projections with supporting assumptions. Financial controls are in accordance with new international accounting standards.

• Close scrutiny of major-event expenditure budgets and a commitment to ensuring that they are a commercial success.

Looking Ahead With the adoption of a new Corporate Plan, ATEC will be planning expenditure in new programs related to industry development and education.

However we will be mindful, given the external pressures generated by the global financial crisis, to ensure all expenditures are carefully budgeted for and that any risk is carefully assessed.

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC board John King Chairman

(as at Nov 21, 2008)

Anna Guillan Vice-Chair

ATEC branches council representative Regina Twiss - North Adelaide Heritage Group

North Queensland Branch Manager Shelley Griffiths 07 4053 5077 shelley griffiths@atec.net.au

State tourism organiation CEO forum representative Felicia Mariani - Tourism Tasmania

Victoria/Tasmania Branch Manager Julie-Anne Rossetto 03 9397 7240 julie-anne.rossetto@atec.net.au

ITO member representatives Francis Wong - Encounter Australia Natalie Pickett - Southbound Australia Inga Afheldt - ATS Pacific Raymond Schleibs - Australian Tourism and Promotions Bernard Whewell - Broome & the Kimberley Holidays

South Australia Branch Manager Kent Rossiter 08 8331 1200 kent.rossiter@atec.net.au

Supplier member representatives Ron Livingston - Livingston Tourism Marketing Kevin Bush - Sydney Attractions Group Jane McKeon - Qantas Airlines Mark Taylor - Accor Hospitality Young ATEC representative Mark Phelps - Sita Coaches

Western Australia Branch Manager Margaret R.Wilson 08 9316 8505 margaret.wilson@atec.net.au Australian Capital Territory Branch Manager Jessica Maxfield 02 8262 5511 jessica.maxfield@atec.net.au NT Central Branch Manager Kent Rossiter 08 8331 1200 kent.rossiter@atec.net.au

ATEC Branch Contacts NSW Branch Manager Jessica Maxfield 02 8262 5511 jessica.maxfield@atec.net.au

NT Top End Branch Manager Kent Rossiter 08 8331 1200 kent.rossiter@atec.net.au

South Queensland Branch Manager Don Jolly 07 5535 1289 don.jolly@atec.net.au

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Matt Hingerty Managing Director

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ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC branch committees The following industry representatives were elected at branch annual general meetings throughout the year.

ACT Committee Jonathan Dean (Chair) Sales & Marketing Manager Novotel Canberra Kate Still Marketing Manager Australian War Memorial Brook Paulka General Manager All Seasons Olims Hotel Canberra Paul Taylor Manager Global Markets Australian Capital Tourism John King Global Tourism & Leisure National Board Mentor - ACT Chairman - ATEC

New South Wales Committee Rob Sampson (Chair) Director SampsonsDirect Len Whittaker (Vice Chair) Sales Manager Captain Cook Cruises Greg Arnott General Manager Australia ATS Pacific Shannon Bailey Director of Sales Sydney Attractions Group Nicole Braden Emerging Markets & Trade Services Specialist - International Marketing Tourism New South Wales Sarah Duthie International Sales Manager Sydney Opera House Anna Guillan (Board Mentor - NSW) Executive General Manager - Sales & Marketing Voyages Hotels & Resorts Anna Guy (YATEC Representative) Peter Townsend National Sales Manager Sightseeing AAT Kings

Russell Windebank Business Development Manager Odyssey Travel

Northern Territory Central Committee Claire Ashard (Chair/Treasurer) Sales and Marketing Manager Alice Springs Desert Park Wayne Thompson (Vice Chair) Central Australian Manager Cobb & Co. Coaches Mechelle Collins Director Alice Springs Helicopters Matt Hingerty (National Board Mentor - NT Central) Managing Director ATEC Jeff Huyben General Manager Voyages Alice Springs Resort Kelly Langhelt Client Relationship Manager Anangu Waai!

Julieta Lopez (Ex-Officio) International Markets Coordinator Tourism NT Suzanne Morgan (Ex-Officio) Director, International Operations Tourism NT Sandy Osborn Partner Ossies Outback 4WD Tours Jun Pyo Assistant Rooms Division Manager Lasseters Hotel Casino Warwick Rock Regional Manager – Central Australia Australian Pacific Touring

Northern Territory Top End Committee Frances Fausett (Chair/Treasurer) Marketing Contractor Value Inn Sylvia Wolf (Vice Chair) Tourism Contractor Thrifty NT

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Louise Kitchingham Hotel Sales Executive SKYCITY Darwin Brett Binns NT Sales Manager AAT Kings Carolyn Bird Inbound Manager Northern Gateway Tamie Butler General Manager Mantra on the Esplanade Darwin Tony Clementson (Ex-Officio) General Manager Tourism Top End Fiona Clift Area Director Sales and Marketing - NT InterContinental Hotels Group John Hart Darwin Manager Cobb & Co. Coaches Matt Hingerty (National Board Mentor - Top End) Managing Director ATEC Suzanne Morgan (Ex-Officio) Director, International Operations Tourism NT

North Queensland Committee Megan Bell (Chair) Director of Marketing Quicksilver Group Sharyn Brydon General Manager - Western Markets Tourism Tropical North Queensland Greg Daven (YATEC Representative) International Sales Manager Kuranda Scenic Railway Andrew Dineen Project Manager Parker Travel Collection Kellie Eustace General Manager Rydges Plaza Hotel Cairns Angela Freeman Director of Marketing Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Paolo Gambino Director of Sales and Marketing Cairns Colonial Club & Palm Royale

yearbook2008

ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC branch committees Michael Nelson Managing Director Etch Tourism Marketing

David Cox (Vice Chair) Manager, International & Niche Markets Gold Coast Tourism Corporation

Mark Phelps (YATEC Representative) Director of Sales and Marketing Sita Coaches and Sunbus Airport Transfers

Sharon Livingston Director of Sales & Marketing Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises

Peter Doggett International Relationship Manager Warner Village Theme Parks

Natalie Pickett (Branch Mentor) Managing Director Southbound Australia

Ron Livingston (National Board Mentor - North Qld) Managing Director Livingston Tourism Marketing

Chantal Dunbar Travelling in Australia

Brett Stanley Hospitality & Tourism Manager De Bortoli Wines Pty Ltd

South Australia Committee

Jim Kelly Owner/Operator Australian Whale Watching

Regina Twiss (Chair) Sales Director North Adelaide Heritage Group Grant Burton (Vice Chair) General Manager Gray Line Adelaide Felicity Brown Director Chinta Air Tours Caroline Densley Director Diverse Travel Australia Gemma Foord (YATEC Representative) Director of Sales Proud Australia Group Rudi Francken Sales and Marketing Manager APT Kangaroo Island Odysseys Siggi Frede International Operations Manager South Australian Tourism Commission Steve Laybourn Director Marketing and Business Development Hughes Chauffeured Limousine Cars & Coaches Francis Wong Managing Director Encounter Australia

South Queensland Committee Narelle Eichorn (Chair) Director of Sales & Marketing Outrigger Hotels & Resorts

Lachlan Furnell Regional Sales Manager Sea Temple Resort & Spa

Anne-Marie Kerry Hotelbeds

Western Australia Committee Meng Wong (Chair) Managing Director Blue Corporation Michelle Docherty (Vice Chair) Business Development Director InterContinental Perth Burswood

Nicole Randall Chief Executive Officer NRG Tourism

Paolo Amaranti Chief Executive Officer Rottnest Island Authority

Alison Saunders A/Inbound Coordinator Tourism Queensland

Stephanie Lang Director of Sales & Marketing Seashells Hospitality Group

Pauline Tang The Ice

Victoria/Tasmania Committee

Joan Mitchell Executive Director Western Australia Luxury Holidays

Aileen Cobern (Chair) Senior Director, Sales & Marketing Choice Hotels Australasia

Graham Muir Chairman Perth Convention Bureau

Maree Martin (Vice Chair) Tourism Marketing Manager Museum Victoria

David O’Malley Chief Executive Officer Australia’s Coral Coast

Yann Duroselle Executive General Manager Quality Hotel Batman’s Hill on Collins

Geraldine Reilly (Health & Wellness Panel) Managing Director Moondance Lodge

Lindsay Goding BDM - North Asia & Gulf Countries Tourism Victoria

Matthias Reimann General Manager Australia One

Nadine Hutchins Marketing Manager Puffing Billy Railway

Rowden Sharpe Director International Marketing Tourism Western Australia

Vicki Malcher General Manager Product The AOT Group

Matt Walker General Manager Geographe Bay Tourism Association

Gill Parssey Manager, International Industry Support Tourism Tasmani

Bernard Whewell (Branch Mentor) Managing Director Broome & Kimberley Holidays

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yearbook2008

ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

YATEC2008 Branch Reports

YATEC New South Wales: YATEC’s mission is to provide support and guidance via education and networking opportunities to further the professional development of young people working in the Australian tourism export industry.

In 2008 YATEC NSW’s focus was on education. During the year we rolled out the National Mentor Program, modelled on NSW’s Mentor program from previous years.

We had more than 50 mentee/mentor pairs sign up across Australia, to great acclaim from industry and media alike. NSW YATEC members also had the opportunity to attend weekly education seminars on topics including International Markets, Distribution, Sales and Negotiation and Innovation. Videos of each seminar were posted online so mentees in other states could also watch and learn.

JJ O’Brien’s are YATEC NSW’s social networking sponsor and have graciously provided venues for all social events for 2007–08. Five social events were held, all with an educational focus; topics included career-success in tourism, travel writing and following your passion, presenting, and personal selling skills.

The NSW YATEC membership continues to grow and now sits at over 200 members. Student membership has also increased from the University of NSW, UTS, TAFE NSW and the International Hotel School of Management.

All members receive a bimonthly newsletter containing a discussion of current issues, a profile of an ATEC member, facts about Australia, news about upcoming events and a new initiative listing job advertisements In addition the YATEC Facebook page continues to grow, with more members joining every day. This initiative has proven to be a successful platform for YATEC members to communicate with each other.

We have a number of goals for 2009, including: • Increasing attendance at YATEC events by 25 per cent and growing YATEC NSW membership by 20 per cent • Further communicating YATEC’s role and benefits to the NSW inbound industry

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• Communicating regularly and consistently with YATEC NSW members to ensure they are aware of all YATEC initiatives that can maximise the benefit of their membership within the next 12 months • Providing members with educational and professional development programs • Providing YATEC members with networking opportunities to develop relationships with YATEC members and the broader ATEC NSW membership base

YATEC Southern Queensland: The Young ATEC Southern Queensland branch had a very active 2008. The Young ATEC representatives from Southern Queensland are David Cox, Gold Coast Tourism and Sonya Mroz, Tweed Endeavour Cruises and are heavilysupported by our Branch Manager, Don Jolly and Chair, Narelle Eichorn.

The year started off with a free seminar to all Young ATEC members called “kick start to 2008”. Don Jolly kindly donated his time for this motivating seminar and included information and guidelines on how to make the most of the busy year ahead. Topics included planning, time management, setting professional and personal goals and much more.

We also completed a membership drive in February and March and held several networking events on the Gold Coast.

Young ATEC Southern Queensland is also proud to be part of the national Mentor Program. We have a fantastic group of Mentors donating their time to motivate and teach the Mentees of the Southern Queensland branch. The Program kicked off with an introductory event at the offices of Gold Coast Tourism in October. The Program has even attracted a story in the Courier Mail.

Young ATEC Southern Queensland was also proud to nominate Sonya Mroz as our areas Young ATEC Award of Excellence nominee at ATEC Symposium. We are looking forward to catching up with everyone at ATEC Meeting Place!

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yearbook2008

ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

YATEC2008 Branch Reports

YATEC North Queensland: The last year has not see a lot of activities due to the fact a number of our younger members are also heavily involved in travelling domestically and internationally and it has been difficult to have to bring them together for functions.

However we have recently re-invigorated YATEC with a meeting of like minded members who are willing to drive YATEC. Their first meeting in late September was aimed at increasing membership.

New Committee for 2008 – 2009 is as follows: Megan Bell, Chair – Quicksilver Group Sharon Brydon, Deputy Chair – Livingston Tourism Marketing Sharon Livingston – Big Cat Reef Cruises Paolo Gambino – Cairns Colonial Club Angela Freeman – Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Michael Nelson (& YATEC Chair) – Etch Marketing Cheryl Kelly – Tourism Marketing Services Rosalind Harries – Ros Harries Marketing Shelagh Murphy – Cairns Tropical Zoo Debra Irvine – Rydges Cairns Donna Gray, TTNQ Ron Livingston, National Board Member – Livingston Tourism Marketing

YATEC Victoria / Tasmania: It has been a fantastic year for the YATEC Vic/Tas branch – during 2008 we established a great array of educational and social events for our growing member roster. Having only established the branch in June 2007, the Vic/Tas committee has worked really hard to develop our events and attract more YATEC members. In fact we have added close to 100 new members in the past 12 months, and are aiming to continue this growth in 2009.

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Our first event in 2008 was a social networking opportunity at the Australian Open tennis tournament. We were lucky to receive 30 after-5pm ground passes from Tennis Australia for our members. A great afternoon and evening was spent enjoying the atmosphere at one of Australia’s premier sporting events.

In February we held our first educational event which focused on the Western Hemisphere markets. We held the event at the Rialto 360 Observation Deck, and were lucky to have Andrew Burnes (CEO of the AOT Group) give an enlightening and entertaining talk, and Tourism Victoria’s Tania Jacobs give us an update on TVIC activities in the Western Markets.

In March we joined the State ATEC branch for a lawn bowls competition at Richmond Union Bowling Club. It was a fun event with some great prizes for winners and also for those who should stick to tourism as their day jobs.

At the ATEC Symposium in Newcastle YATEC Vic/Tas again delivered the goods, with Despina Karatzias from Global Ballooning winning the Len Taylor YATEC Award for Excellence, continuing our branch’s success in producing young tourism stars!

In July we held our second educational event, this time aimed at the Eastern Markets. Again we were lucky to have excellent speakers in Richard Beere - Executive General Manager International (East) and MJ Deng-Westphal – Sales & Marketing Manager, Phillip Island Nature Parks.

With the YATEC Mentoring Program being rolled out nationally for the first time we were pleased to have four members of the Vic/Tas branch sign up for this program, and we are sure this will be very rewarding for them.

Unfortunately it wasn’t all good news, with the announcement that one of our committee members - Tony Corbino - had passed away. Tony was a keen and active member on the YATEC Vic/Tas committee. His passion for life, fun and enthusiasm for the industry was contagious and his passing is a great loss.

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yearbook2008

ATEC ANNUAL REPORT

ATEC long-serving members 30+ Years Contribution Tour Hosts Destination Management AAT Kings Tours Captain Cook Cruises ID South Pacific Australian Pacific Touring 20 - 29 Years Contribution Australian Farm Tourism Pty Ltd Southern World Australia Tourism Queensland Qantas Holidays Inbound Thrifty Car Rental - National Office Tourism NT - Darwin Office Tourism NT - Sydney Office Starwood Hotels & Resorts Sofitel Wentworth Sydney Federal Group Pan Pacific Travel Australia Pty Ltd The Menzies Sydney, An Accor Hotel Murrays Coaches, Buses & Limousines - NSW Tourism Western Australia Tourism New South Wales Tourism Victoria Choice Hotels Australasia Tourism Australia Four Seasons Hotel Sydney Qantas Airlines The Hotel Windsor Quality Hotel Cambridge Cobb & Co Coaches - Melbourne Quicksilver Group of Companies Conrad Jupiters Warner Village Theme Parks Tropic Wings Coach Tours Sydney Opera House ATS Pacific - Sydney Contiki Holidays (Australia) Pty Ltd Australian International Hospitality Group Dockside Group Sovereign Hill Taronga Zoo Quadrant Australia Pty Ltd Bay Village Tropical Retreat Spirit of Tasmania Dreamworld The Sebel and Citigate King George Square Brisbane Hamilton Island Hertz Australia Destination Cairns Marketing Pacific International Hotel Cairns Colonial Club Resort Magistic Cruises Gold Coast Tourism JTB Australia Pty Ltd - Sydney Bob Wood Travel Group Pty Ltd Rydges Tradewinds Cairns Outback Ballooning Pty Ltd Cockington Green InterContinental Hotels Group - NSW Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific South Australian Tourism Commission Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park

10 - 19 Years Contribution Sofitel Brisbane Tourism Tropical North Queensland General Travel Australia Northern Gateway Jade Express Travel Sita Coaches Pty Ltd New World Tours Binna Burra Mountain Lodge Metro Hospitality Group Goway Travel Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Kintetsu International Express - Oceania Pty Ltd Globus & Cosmos Tours Constellation Hotel Group - Head Office RACV Royal Pines Resort Cairns Reef Charter Services Broken Hill City Council - Tourism Department Rydges Hotels & Resorts Cairns Tropical Zoo Gray Line Melbourne Exportise Orpheus Island Resort State Transit Authority Experience Tours Australia ‘A Division of AOT Inbound Pty Ltd’ Sofitel Melbourne Australian Tours Management Pty Ltd Crowthers Coaches Abercrombie & Kent Grand Hyatt Melbourne Hilton Hotels Of Australia The CENTRAL Group Encounter Australia Pty Ltd. Down Under Tours Australia Accors Darling Harbour Hotels Lilianfels Blue Mountains Orient Express Hotels Terra Nova Coach Tours Pty Ltd Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Connections Townsville Enterprise Limited Kangaroo Island SeaLink Queensland Rail Shangri-La Hotel Sydney THL Rentals Hayman Best Western Australia Brisbane Marketing Coral Princess Cruises AOT Inbound Around Australia Tour Service Leeton Tourism Kingfisher Bay Resort & Village CP Tours InterContinental Hotels Group - STH QLD Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort Exceptional Kangaroo Island Mirvac Hotels Pty Ltd Tourism Tasmania Islander Resort Hotel Territory Thrifty Car Rental - NT The Observatory Hotel Luxury Personalised Tours (Lygon Limousines) Courtyard by Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort JMD Ross Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd Australian Capital Tourism Gold Coast International Hotel Transglobal Tournet Australia Hilton Hotels of Australia - Cairns atx:magazine

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Sydney Airport Corporation The Sebel Cairns Voyages Hotels and Resorts Tropical Fruit World Great Southern Touring Route Shopping Spree Tours - Melbourne Stella Hospitality Group - NSW Central Coast Tourism Inc. Australian Day Tour Group Accommodation Down Under Australian Pacific Touring - Melbourne ERM Travel Service BNE Pty Ltd Palm Royale Cairns Sydney Attractions Group Sunlover Reef Cruises CountryLink Port Stephens Tourism Limited Underwater World - Sunshine Coast Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism Breakfree on Hindley Adelaide Australian Institute of Sport Captain Cook Cruises SA - PS Murray Princess Melbourne Observation Deck Australia New Zealand Travel Marketing Time Travel Pty Ltd Accor Hospitality Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort Jalpak International Oceania Pty Ltd APT Kangaroo Island Odysseys Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism Board Historic Houses Trust of NSW Tourism Sunshine Coast Tourabout Adelaide InterContinental Hotels Group - Nth QLD Stamford Hotels & Resorts Adelaide Hyatt Regency Adelaide Great Southern Railway Angsana Resort & Spa Great Barrier Reef Waratah Adventure Tours Hunter Resort Australian Vacations Hilton Adelaide Nippon Travel Agency - NSW Pullman Cairns Reef Casino Holiday Pacific - Surfers Paradise Trailfinders/Bloomfield Rainforest Lodge Murrays Coaches, Buses & Limousines - QLD DFS Australia Sydney Coachtrans Australia Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises Innkeepers Marketing Pty Ltd Queenslander Hotels - Cairns Novotel Rockford Palm Cove Resort Lasseters Hotel Casino Mount’N Beach Safaris Pty Ltd Australia Bound Travel Pty Ltd Southbound Australia Melbourne River Cruises Travelodge Mirambeena Resort Darwin Adventure Tours Australia Fantasea Cruises Choice Hotels Australasia - NSW InterContinental Hotels Group - ACT Cable Beach Club Resort Broome Finesse South Pacific Travel Australian Wild Escapes Bathurst Visitor Information Centre Southern Travelnet Pty Limited Puffing Billy Steam Railway yearbook2008

Golden World Travel Couran Cove Island Resort Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Unique Australian Holidays DFS Australia Gold Coast Lawand Tourism Star City Hotel and Apartments Wooroonooran Safaris Kintetsu International Express - SEQ Beehive Australian Inbound Tour Service Hunter Regional Tourism Organisation Phillip Island Nature Park Pro Dive Cairns China Travel Service (Aust) Rydges Melbourne InterContinental Hotels Group - NT Sheena MacAlister SKYCITY Darwin Pty Ltd Pacific Spirit Travel The Grace Hotel DFS Galleria Cairns Tourism Whitsundays YHA Australia Double Bay Inbound Travel Accor’s Brisbane Hotels Novotel Langley Perth Novotel Brighton Beach The Elandra Mission Beach Ballooning With Hot Air Stamford Hotels and Resorts Bayview International Hotels & Resorts O’Reillys Rainforest Guesthouse Redcliffe City Council Brisbane Airport Corporation Limited National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Undara Experience Lion International Travel Service Pty Ltd Aurora - Hotels - Resorts - Attractions Mercure Hotel Harbourside Cairns Novotel Darwin Atrium Rendezvous Observation City Hotel Perth Wel-Travel Australia Pty Ltd Rendezvous Hotels Australia EcoPoint Resorts Radisson Resort Gold Coast JTB Australia - Perth Hard Rock Cafe - Surfers Paradise The Reef Retreat Warrook Cattle Farm All Pacific Travel Concept Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Skyrail Rainforest Cableway PTC Express Travel Rydges Oasis Resort Caloundra GTA Australasia Gold Coast Institute of TAFE Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart Murrays Coaches, Buses & Limousines - ACT / VIC Citigate Perth BridgeClimb Grand Hotels International Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove Surfers Aquarius Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel Chateau Yering The Fraser Island Company

atx: history

Sir Frank Moore

the strategist from Queensland who got things done

When businessman Frank Moore walked into the offices of the brand new Queensland Tourism and Travel Corporation as its chairman in 1978, one of the first things he asked for was ‘the numbers, the opinions – what do tourists want to see and do? – where is the research?’

To his mind what he was shown was not nearly good enough, and he soon set about creating a broad-ranging research department. Its task was not only to provide information for marketers – Sir Frank also wanted ammunition with which to impress potential investors in tourism plant. Nearly thirty years on he is still convinced research is the first essential step in tourism development. Now in his mid-70s, it is only this year that he relinquished his last tourism post - appropriately, the chairmanship of the hugely-successful Cooperative Centre for Sustainable Tourism – and announced he had retired. Along the way, Moore changed the face and future of Queensland tourism and, in partnership with CEO Peter O’Clery, he made the Australian Tourism Industry Association (ATIA) effective and prosperous for more than a decade.

Other roles have included membership of the World Travel and Tourism Council, a body of great influence and prestige reserved for chairmen, presidents and CEOs (he is now an honorary member), and chairmanship of the Tourism Forecasting Council. He was knighted for his services to tourism in 1983 and in 1990 was made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Sir Frank had a long reign in his first tourism post as chairman of QTTC – 12 years. When he began, state tourism organisations were still in transition from public-service-type bureaux to the sophisticated marketing and development organisations they are today. He had little time for the old ways. Queensland’s only international airport was at Brisbane and it was catering for less than five per cent of the aircraft capacity flying into Australia. In general, tourists passed Queensland by - they concentrated on the Sydney-CanberraMelbourne triangle. New thinking was necessary to ensure that Queensland got what he considered its fair share of overseas tourists, and that was Sir Frank’s first priority.

He set out a plan to put Queensland on the world tourism map by developing warm water resorts, providing access to them through a string of international airports; and designing a marketing system that positioned Queensland’s

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attractions as assets of international quality and provided appropriate products for selected markets. QTTC, a statutory authority with its own board, was organised to achieve these goals.

Sometimes his methods were controversial, none more so than the way QTTC dealt directly with potential developers.

Parliament gave it jurisdiction over certain Crown lands, which it was able to sell or contribute to joint ventures with developers. An example was the $183 million Sheraton Mirage Resort at Port Douglas, which opened in 1987. The QTTC contribution of Crown land was paid for by $10 million in shares and these were later sold for $13.5 million.

Controversial or not, Queensland got its international resorts and by the time Sir Frank left office in 1990 three out of four of the gateways he had targeted had become international airports (with the exception of Coolangatta).

The retail system QTTC had inherited from the old bureau had been completely revamped and a network of overseas offices established. Sunlover Holidays had been created to wholesale a huge range of Queensland products to tour operators and travel agents. The plan had worked; the number of overseas tourists had more than tripled since 1978. Queensland was second only to New South Wales among the states and territories in attracting tourist business.

Sir Frank’s success with ATIA was no less striking. The organisation, renamed from the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) was the chief body representing the interests of the travel and tourism industry. In 1984 a group of industry leaders approached Sir Frank to take over as chairman. He accepted and remained in the post until 1995.

He stresses that credit for the considerable achievements of that period must be shared with Peter O’Clery, the executive head of the organisation. ATIA moved its headquarters from Sydney to Canberra to be close to the politicians and bureaucrats it sought to influence. When Sir Frank left it in 1995, the organisation was well-established in Tourism House in Canberra, it had $2,250,000 in reserves and an income from operations of between $300,000 and $400,000 a year. ATIA was later renamed Tourism Council Australia and moved to Sydney; it failed financially in early 2001and was dissolved. This is one of Sir Frank Moore’s great regrets, though he looks back on his own days with the organisation with satisfaction.

Sir Frank was rewarded at the 2008 Symposium national conference in Newcastle with an ATEC Life Membership, a rare honour presented by Chairman John King at the farewell Gala Dinner. In this observer’s judgment, Sir Frank can look back with satisfaction on all the major tasks he undertook. Australian tourism would very different today, and much the poorer, without Sir Frank Moore.

yearbook2008

atx: useful stuff

The Big Deal about Negotiation Ray Schliebs reflects on his experience and perspective in creating agreements and deals over the years.

We are all born as highly-effective negotiators.

Think about the four year-old screaming and throwing a tantrum in a supermarket, because she wants something that she has been told she cannot have. Maybe an ice cream or a lolly. Then, five minutes later you see the little girl quietly eating an ice cream.

Very effective negotiation, I would say. What about interpersonal relationships? We all have them, and we all know that ultimately they are all about compromise and give and take.

We negotiate every day of our lives, so we are intrinsically good at it. So if we are all naturally good at negotiating and making deals, why is it that is that in the commercial world some people seem to be really great at it, and others not quite as effective or confident? For some people, effective negotiation appears to be easy. I would argue that either formally or informally, these people have learned this effectiveness. They have developed behaviors supported by conscious and unconscious tactics that help them achieve their desired outcomes. Experience learned through many years of trial and error.

What works in certain circumstances and what doesn’t eventually develops in us an intuitive effectiveness in negotiating successful results and claiming value.

So do we have a definition for what is considered negotiation? In reviewing a wide range of sources, I have come up with what I believe to be a reasonable definition for ‘negotiation’.

Negotiation: Discussion, written or otherwise, between two or more parties on different sides, generally with competing interests, the aim being to reach a common agreement. On a more tactical level it could be seen to be a give-and-take process between a buyer and a seller in which precise terms of supply, specification, delivery, price, and after-sales service, etc, are agreed.

Now that we have a broad definition and understanding of what constitutes a negotiation, the question remains whether, given that great negotiation can be a learned skill, whether we can create a formula or process through which you can become increasingly effective and claim higher-value outcomes? Below I present a simple negotiation process model that I came across many years ago and have used

with a high degree of success ever since. If you think about, plan and implement your negotiations around this process, over time your confidence and skill as a negotiator will improve substantially.

Prepare: Know what you want and need out of the agreement. Understand them, their business, their motives and what they are likely to be looking for out of the agreement.

Open: Put your case forward, making sure that you present the benefits for them. Hear their case, listen for any information or ideas that you may be able to use to support your case later.

Argue: Support your case, with supporting information. Expose their case, trying to discover barriers or objections that you may need to overcome.

Explore: Seek understanding and possibility.

By this stage you should have enough information of them for you to be able to explore common ground without giving much away.

Signal: Indicate your readiness to work together. This is very important in that it signals that you wish to move forward with a relationship and that you believe that you can work together. It’s human nature to want to be liked and to desire positive relations.

Package: Assemble potential trades. This is a period of giving and taking ‘concessions’, or items of value. This should not become ‘horse trading’ you give me this and I’ll give you that, as value for both sides can be lost or gained in this process.

Close: Reach final agreement. In making a final agreement, make sure that it is 100% clear to both parties what they have agreed to and what their responsibilities are to the agreement.

Sustain: Make sure that what is agreed happens. This is where many a good agreement falls down in that the relationship and the actual delivery of the agreed terms diverges.

The basics of effective business negotiation Know that it’s a game: The less seriously you take it, the more you know it’s a game, the more effective you will be. It’s very easy to take issues and comments personally, but always remember it’s not about you, it’s about the business. Have fun and enjoy the process.

The point is not to talk someone into something: The best negotiators know what they want, but they also help the other side get what it needs, knowing that this is in fact how they can get what they want. If you talk or force someone into an agreement that is in their detriment to them, chances are high that the agreement and possibly the relationship will not last.

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yearbook2008

Try to avoid making the first offer: If you are negotiating with a new hotel supplier and you tell her that you can’t pay more than $70 per room, then guess what? The minimum that you will be paying will be $70 per room, because your first offer relayed that that was an acceptable price. Too bad she was willing to down go $50 per room. Research has shown that making the second offer typically give you a tactical advantage leading to a better outcome for the second offered.

Know when to shut up: Stop talking and listen. When the other side is speaking, you can glean valuable information and insights.

You may catch a faux-pas, or a piece of valuable information you did not know, or even an option you wouldn’t have known was available if you had kept talking. Silence is also an effective tactic as people feel uncomfortable with silence and are likely to give away information or concessions in order to fill and uncomfortable silence.

Be creative in your approach: Highlyskilled negotiators know there are many ways to get the same result. Maybe you can’t give your manager that raise she wants, but you could give her a few afternoons off a month. She feels like she got something but really, you didn’t give up much. Creativity often creates value for both sides that wasn’t previously there.

Don’t fall in love: When it becomes clear that you have to have something you are negotiating for (whether it is a price, issue, or thing) you’ve tipped your hand and your opponent will use it against you. If it’s obvious that you absolutely need that hotel in your program, then you are at a distinct disadvantage. If the car salesman knows you “just love that blue Beemer,” chances are you’ll end up with it want it or not.

Be willing to walk: This may be the most powerful tool of them all. The willingness to leave the table is like a negotiation bomb, and that is when you will likely get your best offer. Walking away is a metaphor for ceasing the negotiation, it could just as easily be stopping communication. Try it the next time you go car shopping.

Always have a BATNA: (Best Alternative To Non-Agreement) – what is your best fallback position if you or the other party doesn’t want to do a deal? What is your alternative?

If you have a good alternative then you can be much more forceful in pushing an agreement than if you have nowhere else to go if the agreement falls through.

Happy and successful negotiating!!!!

atx: profile

Jodi McKay

New South Wales Minister for Tourism

New NSW Minister for Tourism Jodi McKay is quick to admit she has no experience in the industry - but she does not believe that is a barrier to her successfully managing the role.

The former television newsreader took on the tourism portfolio at a challenging time, with the economy on the slide, industry confidence in Tourism NSW at an all-time low and a major reform process underway.

“It’s been a tumultuous six weeks,” she said. “When I walked in we were partway though a significant reform process and that’s at a time when there are global (economic) implications for the industry.”

Ms McKay believes the industry is now firmly behind Tourism NSW and the direction it is taking in the wake of the O’Neill Report and the resulting allocation of $40 million in additional funding.

On her ‘to-do’ list is finding a replacement for former Tourism NSW CEO John O’Neill, who resigned when the critical report by his namesake was handed down.

“We are aware that we need to get moving on that,” Ms McKay said.“ It is an opportune time to put in a new leader.”

Another key priority is driving the Brand Sydney project while ensuring the regions also benefit from increased arrivals. The Minister is taking a different approach with the regions, giving them greater autonomy. “We’re saying ‘tell us what you need and we’ll support you’,” she said.

Ms McKay says she is enthusiastic about the potential of emerging markets such as China, India and Korea, and in promoting more innovative marketing, including using reality television and social networking sites such as MySpace.

Ms McKay, who was elevated to the ministry after the resignation of previous Minister Matt Brown, believes her fresh eyes will benefit the portfolio.

new minister is to speak frankly to you. People have been speaking frankly about their dissatisfaction over the past eight years or so.”

As well as being new to tourism the Minister is relatively new to politics, only having entered Parliament as the Member for Newcastle in 2007. It was her passion for Newcastle that prompted her to swap a communications and marketing career to serve in Macquarie St. Ms McKay began her career as a journalist, working in television, radio and print media in northern NSW before moving into the private sector in corporate communications and marketing.

The 39-year-old is also the Minister for the Hunter and believes her Hunter-region roots are a good fit with her tourism portfolio, while she also brings useful marketing experience to the role.

“I am a communicator, that’s my background, and I’ve worked in small business and I’ve worked on a lot of boards as well,” the Minister said.

Ms McKay’s consultative style has already won her many fans in the tourism industry, but she is keen to point out that she has a bit of ‘bulldog’ in her as well. “When someone tells me that I can’t do something, I find another way of going about it, I won’t take no,” she said.

The Minister believes tourism in NSW is “in an exciting place”, with Brand Sydney underway, Events NSW starting to kick goals and the reform process ready to commence.

“It’s so exciting; we’ve acknowledged that we haven’t done it well but we have such great potential there,” she said. “It’s all just sitting there, waiting for us to ignite.”

Jodi McKay is in favour of national standards for tourism operators but says such change must be driven by industry.

“We are certainly supportive of a (national) accreditation scheme but it is not our core business, so it would need to be industry driven,” she said. “We do not have a regulatory role.”

The Minister said while Tourism New South Wales has contributed some funding in the investigative phase, she will need to be convinced if more is sought. “I’m not sure that it should be publicly funded,” she said - Jane E. Fraser

“I can listen objectively to what is working and what isn’t,” she said. “I think the one thing people do when you’re a

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yearbook2008

atx: profile feature

Dr Liz Constable

Western Australia Minister for Education, Tourism and Women’s Interests

Aviation, accommodation, indigenous tourism. New Western Tourism Minister Dr Liz Constable may have only been in her role for a relatively short time, but she already has her priorities mapped out.

“Tourism has been very exciting so far, and it really is seen by the Premier as a major industry and a senior portfolio. He wants to see it built, so that’s the real challenge for me,” Dr Constable said.

While Dr Constable has been a member of the WA Parliament since 1991, the history-making politician became WA’s first independent female Minister when she won the seat of Churchlands during the state election earlier this year. Now she is ready to tackle the WA tourism industry’s biggest challenges head-on.

The Minister acknowledges that while the skies over WA have really opened up in recent months, more can be done to make regional Western Australia accessible.

“What excites me most as minister are the challenges the WA Tourism industry is facing,” Dr Constable said. “WA depends so much on aviation, and there are some issues there that we need to keep abreast of.”

“Almost everyone who comes to Western Australia, whether it’s from interstate or obviously overseas, comes by aircraft. In the last few weeks Jetstar has announced some new flights here. AirAsia X has done the same, but it’s all about joining dots and there are still some dots that I’d like to see joined,” she said.

Dr Constable said the first ‘dots’ on the list are Broome and Margaret River, Western Australia’s two most recognisable brands outside of Perth.

“It’s easy to see dots joined from Melbourne to Broome, from Sydney to Broome and places in Queensland as well, because currently people in these places have to come via Perth or Darwin to get to the destination,” the Minister said.

“So the more dots we can join the better for tourism here.

I would like to see similar development into the Margaret River region. I see that as being a really important for the South-West and it’s very much on the radar.”

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Dr Constable acknowledged that a key element in boosting tourism across state was the need for better infrastructure, and in particular more accommodation. The Minister is also passionate about paying immediate attention to WA’s indigenous tourism sector.

“Another one of the challenges, and one I’m keen to see move very quickly, is indigenous tourism involving Aboriginal people,” Dr Constable said. “These are very special products because they give people the opportunity to go into the bush and learn about it all in very sacred places – places they might otherwise never have an opportunity to go to.”

“I see the tourism industry as a great career opportunity for young Aboriginal people,” she said, acknowledging that to date the quality just hasn’t been there when it comes to indigenous product. “Many young Aboriginal people haven’t had the personal experience of travel, but I think that’s easy to overcome with help and education, and giving the right assistance to people wanting to develop their own small business. We’ve got that expertise to give.”

Dr Constable’s is also enthusiastic about national accreditation.

“We are very keen to see national accreditation pursued and developed as quickly as possible,” she said. “We don’t want people coming in from the eastern states and not providing the standard of tourism that we would wish. Neither do the eastern states want that from people coming from WA. High standards are very important across the industry because we’re not just competing within Australia, were competing with overseas destinations as well.”

The Minister counts the Kimberley region (currently receiving more attention than ever before thanks to its portrayal in Baz Luhrmann’s silver screen epic, Australia) as one of the country’s most spectacular destinations. In fact, she believes the wild, raw beauty of the state’s north-west is only eclipsed by an experience she once had in Shark Bay on the state’s mid-west coast.

“My husband and I like to sail and we once sailed up the coast from Perth to Shark Bay, which was just fantastic,” the Minister said. “When you’re on a boat in the middle of the bay, and there’s no one else around, you have this incredible variety of wilderness all to yourself. We saw pods of 10 whales with their babies and slicks of manta rays a kilometre and a half long – I think that was probably the most spectacular week I’ve ever had,” she said.

- Jessica Zoiti

yearbook2008

atx: feature symposium 2008 workshop day

symposium 2008 workshop day

atec south america trade mission

bowral cricket day championships

destination showcase

destination showcase

eureka skydeck

nq branch barefoot bowls

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yearbook2008

chairman’s lunch

atx: feature nsw agm trivia night

nsw melbourne cup lunch

nsw melbourne cup lunch

nt outback workshop

symposium 2008

symposium 2008

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yearbook2008

atx: feature symposium 2008

symposium 2008

symposium 2008

symposium 2008

nsw yatec famil

nsw yatec

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yearbook2008

vic/tas yatec mentoring

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All photos courtesy Tourism NT: 1. Ubirr Rock, Kakadu 2. Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, Darwin 3. Katherine Gorge Cruise 4. Wigram Islands People.

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