06 June 2008

Bring back the Brits, says Brown

Australia’s tourism industry is lagging, says Christopher Brown of the National Tourism and Transport Forum, and needs a refreshed injection of holiday-makers from the UK and New Zealand.

Since Paul Hogan presented Australia to the world in the 1980s, there has been no significant advertising campaign from the Government to entice travellers to the country.  Over the past seven years, the number of visitors to Australia has risen by only 0.3 per cent, while Australia’s neighbours in the Asia-Pacific have seen an average rise in toursim of 1.9 per cent, reports the Courier Mail newspaper.  "We are flatlining in a region that is going through the roof," says Brown.

Australia has become far too dependent on the constant flow of tourism from Japan, and needs to "start working on new markets in China and India and the traditional markets of the UK and New Zealand," he added.  Many residents of the UK and New Zealand go on working holidays or immigrate to Australia, because of its natural beauty, exciting cities, and lifestyle conditions. 

Tourism Queensland has just announced its plan to market Queensland as the adventure capital of Australia.  "When people come to Queensland they don’t want to look at stuff – they want to be active.  They want experience, from hot-air ballooning and snorkelling in the Barrier Reef, to white water rafting," commented Anthony Hayes, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Queensland. 

An ETA visa is required for all short-term visitors travelling to Australia. Visa Bureau’s automated application process means that in most cases, they can be granted in seconds.

Anyone interested in taking a working holiday to Australia should confirm their eligibility by taking Visa Bureau’s online assessment.

Australia needs skilled workers: anyone interested in migrating to Australia should complete an online assessment to see if they qualify for skilled migration to Australia.