2011 - 2012 Annual Report - Tourism Australia

Development focus
Developing the destination
To attract target customers and ensure Australia is
promoted as a competitive tourism destination, Australian
tourism needs not only effective marketing campaigns,
but also consistently high-quality infrastructure, products
and experiences.
In 2011, the Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism,
the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP revised his Statement
of Expectations for Tourism Australia to include working
collaboratively with Australian Government departments
and agencies to facilitate tourism investment and
additional sustainable air services to Australia.
These new areas complement Tourism Australia’s
continuing work to promote Indigenous tourism
development and quality tourism products, and to
strengthen the travel distribution system. The organisation
is working to achieve these goals by marketing the
National Tourism Accreditation Framework (T-QUAL),
training travel agents and managing a range of national
and international trade events that promote Australia as a
destination for leisure and business events travel.
Driving investment opportunities
To achieve the goals of Tourism 2020, Tourism Australia
needs to increase the number of hotel rooms available to
tourists, particularly in capital cities.
Since 2009, accommodation occupancy rates have
increased by 3.4 per cent and revenue per available room
has increased by 13 per cent. However, the number of
rooms available in capital cities has only increased by
2.7 per cent.
These statistics highlight a growing need for investment
in accommodation. Despite continuing growth in
accommodation occupancy rates, the number of available
beds has not kept pace with customer needs, constraining
growth in the tourism industry. For example, research by
Access Economics in 2010 estimated that hotel supply
shortages in Perth resulted in losses of around 330,000
visitor nights worth $46 million between 2006/07 and
2008/09. This is equivalent to a loss of 200 jobs in the state
economy and $213 million in exports.
During 2011/12, Tourism Australia focused on developing
and implementing a targeted stakeholder engagement
program for prospective investors in accommodation
and property. Tourism Australia chaired a state and
territory tourism investment forum – the Investment
Attraction Partnership Group (IAPG). The IAPG brought
together state tourism and development leaders, and
representatives from Austrade and the Department of
Resources, Energy and Tourism to develop an Australian
network on tourism investment.
The forum also provided state and territory input into
the Australian Tourism Investment Guide by highlighting
investment-ready tourism projects around the country.
New partnership targets greater investment in
tourism products
In May 2012, Tourism Australia, the Department of
Resources, Energy and Tourism, and Austrade launched
a new strategic partnership to attract investment in
Australian tourism. The partnership aims to promote
investment opportunities across the Australian tourism
industry to foreign and local investors.
Tourism Australia, Austrade and the Department
unveiled several new communication tools as part of the
partnership, including the Australian Tourism Investment
Guide, the Tourism Investment Monitor, a marketing
video and a new website, tourisminvestment.com.au.
The investment guide outlines up to 80 investment-ready
tourism projects in capital cities and regional areas across
Australian states and territories, and the website ensures
this information is kept up to date.
The partnership has also supported a number of overseas
investment activities. On 30 May 2012, Tourism Australia,
Austrade, Jones Lang La Salle, and state and territory
tourism organisations presented to more than
40 investment businesses in London. The presentation was
followed on 1 June by a ministerial investment round table
hosted by Minister Ferguson in Bangkok. Eighteen current
and potential investors discussed benefits and barriers to
investing in Australia and how these can be overcome.
Tourism Australia also held a two-day tourism investment
program in Shanghai on 4 and 5 June 2012, coinciding
with the official launch of phase two of the There’s nothing
like Australia campaign in China. Twelve Australian
representatives from nine companies with investmentready
properties took part in the program. Events included
a ministerial round table meeting, which discussed the
current investment environment and how investment in
Australia could be increased, followed by a discussion with
12 potential Chinese investors and presentations from
the Australian delegates. An investment launch was also
held in Seoul on 29 June 2012, attended by 49 industry,
investment and government representatives.
Tourism Australia will continue its investment partnership
activities in 2012/13, including two domestic investment
briefings in Sydney and Melbourne in September 2012, and
a series of parallel Australian tourism investment events
with Austrade at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia
Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong.
Perth, Western Australia
34 Development Focus 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT 35