Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director Tourism Australia (TA)
- International arrivals were at 60% of pre-covid numbers in December.
- Singapore visitors are coming back faster than from other markets.
- The focus moved to domestic tourism during covid - TA did image shoots with over 1400 industry operators to build a stockpile of great assets - including this one for The Truffle Farm.
The future of tourism is bright, but it will be hard fought.
- There's fewer travellers, people are staying closer to home and there's extreme competition.
- TA is working hard on creative to ensure it cuts through.
- A global brand campaign is now active, making sure everyone knows that Australia is open and welcoming.
- It's called 'Come and say g'day', featuring Australia's most recognisable symbol - the kangaroo.
- TA also produced a 9 minute story featuring Ruby the Roo which has had over 9 million views around the world.
- TA is now targeting the China market and visitation with major events. Although aviation capacity is currently limited, they can scale up quickly when needed. TA has a three-phase campaign plan.
Sarah Collingwood, Four Winds Vineyard
- Canberra District Wine Industry Association represents over 140 vineyards in the Canberra region, characterised by small scale operations focusing on premium and ultra-premium wines. The majority focus on direct sales.
- Sarah is co-owner and operator of Four Winds Vineyard which produces around 140 tonnes of grapes and 6000 cases of wine each year, attracting around 30,000 visitors per year through the cellar door.
- Sarah gave an interesting presentation outlining the seven factors affecting the wine industry.
- 1. Loss of the China market - the application of tariffs impacted the industry with a reduction of more than $1 billion in exports. A lot of work has gone into finding new markets. The impact has been less locally as most Canberra region producers don't export, instead focusing on direct sales.
- 2. Climate change and extreme weather events - smoke from the 2020 bushfires and the severe hailstorm last year dramatically impacted local producers, while nationally climate change is impacting harvest dates and seeing the establishment of vineyards in cooler regions.
- 3. Rise of the no-low market - a huge increase in demand for no or low alcohol wines is driving new research and development to produce high quality products appealing to the health and wellness market.
- 4. Biosecurity - one of the highest threats to the security of the industry nationally.
- 5. Duplication of the Barton Highway - a local level impact. Sarah welcomed the investment, saying the new road will be a great asset to regional tourism. She did note the current impacts of the work for some wineries.
- 6. Labour and accommodation shortages - the industry relies heavily on a seasonal workforce. Projects to address these shortages in the agri-business sector, plans for more on-site accommodation at wineries and alternative mechanical harvesting options are being explored.
- 7. Wine tourism opportunities - wine is more accessible than ever, the industry is listening to younger people and is benefiting from an increase in complimentary tourism activities like bike tours, alpaca tours and chocolate shops.
Brodie Fleming, Director Brand Canberra
Brodie gave an overview of the Canberra Story project and how it relates to the tourism sector.
The Canberra Story is about who we are, what we do and why we live where we live.
- A story is simple and for everyone - when it resonates with truth it's easy to tell and impossible to forget.
- To arrive at the Canberra Story, 65 interviews were conducted with a range of Canberrans, followed by one-on-one conversations with story-tellers who were hunting for a feeling and themes.
- Words emerged that summarised a lot of ideas...
abundance, space and closeness
- Canberran's told us they feel purposeful, and that as a city we are interesting, nurturing and balanced.
- A pattern emerged in the way people told their stories, with rebirth as a consistent and emerging theme.
- From all the individual stories, the team developed a creative interpretation of a master story.
- The next phase of work is to interpret this master story for different audiences and sectors.
We pay tribute to Justin Higgins, General Manager of Hotel Realm and Burbury Hotel & Apartments who passed away recently aged 50. Justin was an industry leader and loved by all those who knew him.
The next Tourism Advisory Forum
Thursday 6th April at the National Convention Centre.
Note: This is a brief summary of the Tourism Advisory Forum and is not a verbatim record of the event.
Credits:
Created with images by Leonid Andronov - "Old Parliament House, served from 1927 to 1988. Canberra, Australia" • Christopher Meder - "canberra city" • Milosz Maslanka - "CANBERRA - NOV 20: Old Parliament House view on November 20, 2013 in Canberra, Australia. Old Parliament House was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. Designed by John Murdoch."