NEXT GENERATION OF TRADE PROGRAMS FOR ASIA

The Australian Tourist Commission is launching a new generation of trade marketing programs to meet the changing needs of the industry and consumers in Asia.

Addressing an industry function at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ATC Managing Director, John Morse, said the ATC would be looking at providing greater industry support and opportunities to capitalise on Australia's enhanced international image as a result of the Olympic Games.

"Australia has a new image and at the same time we have a significantly different operating environment, particularly in Asia," Mr Morse said. "The ATC will be providing expanded cooperative marketing programs with the industry and providing new information and education programs to give travel agents all of the tools they need to service the consumer of the future.

"Changing consumer travel patterns, holiday preferences, the decision making process and technology are all changing the way we interact with consumers. It all adds up to the need to reinvent the way we go about our business.

"Add to that greater competition, airline changes, economic conditions, industry alliances and partnerships and tighter marketing and promotion budgets, the ATC and the industry, like everyone else, is under a great amount of pressure to come up with the right answer. And this isn't just an issue for Asia - it is an issue for all regions.

"The ATC has already started the change process in Australia with a greater exchange of information with airlines and State and Territory Tourism Authorities. We now have to go that step further and roll this out to the wider industry.

"In Asia, we have just launched the Aussie Specialist travel agent program, which provides complete computer based training for agents as well as recognition and direct sales referrals from our promotional activities.

"The ATC is also signing up key distribution partners (KDP) in each country. KDP's are top producing and promoting agents who are committing to product and program development to Australia for the next two years and are key supporters of our cooperative advertising campaigns.

"Additionally, the ATC has gateway pages to our major web site (australia.com) which are tailored to each individual country's needs and provided at this stage in English and Chinese with other languages in the pipeline.

"We are also focussing on development of the meetings and incentives segment and have already conducted a major industry workshop in Bangkok and we will be following this up with an advertising program to corporate customers. The entire program involves Australia's convention bureaux and local industry throughout the region.

"One of the critical success areas for the ATC has been the involvement, support and interaction with the local travel industry in Asia. Indeed, all of the new programs are a direct result of communications and consultation with the industry.

"I am more than confident that we can achieve the figure of more than four million arrivals from Asia by 2010. In 2000 we welcomed 1.2 million visitors, which was up 12 per cent. We are expecting 12 per cent growth per annum over the next decade and much of this will be driven by China, which by the end of the decade will be in the top three as Australia's single largest source countries," Mr Morse said.

Mr Morse said while there is great amount of change to be done, Australia's tourism fundamentals remain in great shape and the recent Sydney Olympic Games had a significant impact on Australia's position.

"We have lots of ticks on the Australian checklist at present. The product is priced competitively, the airfares are good and there are seats available, there's great awareness and interest in Australia and the Aussie-dollar has depreciated against many currencies which is great news for travellers," Mr Morse said.

"In Australia, I think you will find that the bar on service standards has been raised. Australia has always been very good at service but during the Games we all tried that little bit harder to ensure visitors had a great time and I think we are maintaining that momentum. In addition, because the Games went so well, Australia now is recognised for quality infrastructure, excellent organisational skills and problem solving ability. This is great for tourism particularly the MICE segment.

"Internationally, we are now just beginning to see the power of the Olympics for Australian tourism. Around four billion people watched the Games for a total of 40 billion hours. Since the Games our research has found that the image of Australia as a country has changed significantly and people now believe of more than just Kangaroos, the Outback and cities. They also now know Australia for its creativity, building technology, environmental standards and lifestyle.

"In Malaysia, Japan and the United States, around two-thirds of those surveyed said the Olympics had increased their interest in visiting Australia and that they now knew more about Australia.

"The Olympics have had a tremendous impact on the Australia's tourism industry and the country's international image. However, Australia is by no means complacent and is working harder than ever to convert the passion into passengers, Mr Morse said.