AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST TOURISM TRADE EVENT BEGINS IN BRISBANE

The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), the biggest international tourism trade event ever to be held in Australia hits town today providing a multi-million dollar injection into the Brisbane and Queensland economies.

Speaking at the official opening of ATE today, Federal Minister for Tourism, Jackie Kelly, said a record number of international and Australian tourism businesses were attending ATE in Brisbane this year.

“Australia is on show to the world during ATE,” Ms Kelly said. “It is arguably the most important event in the country’s export calendar with no other event driving more foreign exchange earnings for the country.

“ATE will be a catalyst for billions of dollars of business generated by the tourism industry over the next few years.

“This is big business for the tourism industry, and it is big business for Australia, helping to drive tourism to our country for the next decade, when visitor arrivals are forecast to rise from 5 million in 2000 to 10 million in 2010.”

ATE is the premier event on the Australian tourism industry’s calendar, costing $8.3 million to stage and is the biggest tourism trade event in the Southern Hemisphere. Over nine days nearly 780 international buyers from 47 countries will take part in 100,000 meetings with 2000 Australian tourism sellers.

Queensland Minister for Tourism, Merri Rose said ATE was always a spectacular event and this year Queensland had gone out of its way to make it the best yet.

“This is the first time that ATE has been held outside Sydney and Melbourne and it provides a great opportunity to showcase our State to the world’s top tourism buyers,” she said.

“The entire Queensland tourism industry is involved in ATE from the hotels, convention centre and restaurants to the airport, taxis and coach companies, and, of course tourism operators across the State.

“The benefits of ATE will be spread state wide with one in three international buyers undertaking pre and post travelling to experience first hand the great tourism products in Queensland.

“It is also pleasing there are more Queensland tourism businesses at ATE than ever before, with almost half (44 per cent) of all the sellers representing Queensland product.”

Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) Managing Director, John Morse, organiser of the event, said ATE signalled that Brisbane and Queensland had “come of age” as an international tourist destinations.

“ATE is the most significant tourism event for Queensland since World Expo and has the potential to be economically more important than the World Veteran Games, Indy or the Goodwill Games,” he said.

“With the world’s tourism heavy weights in town, Queensland has a great opportunity to showcase the city, the state and ensure tourism flourishes for years to come.

“ATE also provides a boost for the local economy with ATE delegates spending around 13,000 visitor nights in Brisbane, injecting around $10 million into the local economy.”

“The ATC and Tourism Queensland have also invited Brisbane’s community and business leaders to ATE this year to help build the awareness and understanding of the importance of Australia’s tourism industry.

“ATE will help to build Australia’s fourth largest, and Queensland’s second largest industry for years to come,” he said.

“Australia’s popularity is at a record level following the 2000 Olympic Games and the industry expects to deliver a record 5 million visitors this year. ATE will help to ensure that this growth continues for years to come.

Mr Morse thanked the Queensland tourism industry, in particular Tourism Queensland for helping to stage a successful ATE.