Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum MONday 5 DECEMBer 2022

Jonathan Kobus, Director Visit Canberra, opened the Forum thanking our guest speakers and acknowledging record attendee numbers.

ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism, Andrew Barr launches the ACT 2030 Tourism Strategy

• Thank you for being here for the formal launch of the strategy for the ACT tourism sector for the next decade.
• We are now into recovery mode post-covid, and the data is showing that in most areas we are getting back to the numbers we saw pre-pandemic.
• Domestic tourism is particularly strong - we have doubled the number of flights to our city by making it easier and cheaper to get to Canberra.
• We are confident in our tourism product, and want to strengthen tourism and attract visitors.
• We want to invest in the internal transport networks in our city, which is an important part of giving tourists access to the city.
• We are building infrastructure for a growing population.
• We also want to ensure we stay a 20-minute city.
• Our strategy highlights the role tourism plays as a job creator; it supports visitors and residents.
• Social licence and support from residents are important for any tourism strategy.

"When I started in this job, at the time it was often hard to rustle up the population behind Canberra as a place to visit, but we have a great new brand and we can feel good about our city and the overall story we are looking to tell."

• We need to invest in new precincts within the city and encourage the Commonwealth to invest in our national cultural institutions.
• We want Canberrans to support and encourage the vision and we are seeing they are.
• There are 18,500 tourism jobs in the territory, and under the strategy we want it to grow to 23,000 as part of our goal to grow jobs in the ACT economy.

"Success driven by vision supported by passion."

• The strategy is long term. Each year there will be action plans to drive it forward - it will be a collaborative effort.
• The Tourism Cooperative Marketing Fund is designed to drive collaboration - submissions are open until 22 January 2023.
• We are going to be there as a partner to support great ideas and we look forward to seeing the submissions.
• Aviation is a key part of our strategy, with an objective of more capacity and low-cost carriers and destinations in 2023. Our international focus is on Singapore and the Pacific.

Question - "The strategy is a great blueprint - are you confident Canberra has the resources to deliver the strategy?"

• The question will be where we will tip extra resources as there are a lot of competing priorities.
• Infrustructure is the most expensive from an investment perspective, events are the second most expensive, marketing is the least expensive.
• We have some capacity in our events budget, so we are looking for new partners and proposals.

Question "Is there mention of investment into Canberra's cultural institutions?"

• It builds through in the program of opportunities, and it's worth acknowledging the previous Federal government did invest in some of our famous institutions.
• I'm looking forward to the current Federal government doing more, in particular, we are investing in transport, so we can get people to our great cultural institutions.

Question "Is there a difference in attitude and approach now compared to the past?"

• Undoubtably, and we now have more representatives in the Federal government.
• There is optimism for partnerships to enable more investment from the Commonwealth.

Question - "Fast rail, is it going to happen?"

• We have been looking at faster rail and what is happening with the Newcastle-Sydney corridor.
• The Canberra-Sydney rail corridor is achievable in the low billions of dollars, not the high billions of dollars that would be required for a bullet train.
• We could do something with the Canberra-Sydney rail network to make that quicker than driving, and depending on your destination in Sydney, comparable to flying.

Director of Visit Canberra, Jonathan Kobus, on the details of the 2030 Tourism Strategy

• The ACT Tourism Strategy 2023 - 2030 is available here.
• The process of developing the strategy was very collaborative, and we gathered many perspectives, ideas and opinions.
• It was a very detailed visioning process for this strategy.

'The views of Canberrans matter'

• Our commitment to climate action is important - the impact people can have through their travel choices.
• Our brand - people said they wanted the Canberra brand to translate to local and whole of sector.
• Our traditional owners and connection to place also came through strongly in the consultations - stories and the importance of telling them.
• 8/10 Canberrans support Canberra being actively promoted.
• 8/10 Canberrans think Canberra is an attractive place.
• The overarching statement/goal -

A thriving, sustainable destination that benefits Canberrans

• In order to achieve this statement we need to have a number of important things.
• Place, environment, community, economy and visitors all add up to the Visitor Economy.
• We will work holistically using these pillars.
• We aim to reach pre covid visitor numbers by 2025.

By the end of 2030 the visitor economy will be worth $4 billion and 22,750 tourism jobs

• Mission 1 - develop our city as a global destination. This means growing awareness of Canberra as a great destination.
• We also need to make sure our local businesses are ready for a global market.
• Being a hub for business events, international events, things that align with what the city is best at.
• Responsible investment is a big part of this.
• Mission 2 - Promote Canberra's strength and celebrate our distinct character.
• Something unique to Canberra is all our incredible cultural institutions.
• Mission 3 - Contribute to the wellbeing of our community.
• Creating employment pathways for people who live here. We don't just want to fill positions; we want to make sure tourism is seen as a career pathway.
• Part of contributing to our community is the attraction to our events.
• Bringing people together and connecting the community is so important - a great example of this was Canberrans coming together in the early hours of the morning to cheer on the Socceroos.
• Mission 4 - Ensure we have a destination that supports iconic experiences.
• We know we have all these amazing things - food, culture, wine, nature and hospitality. Canberra's great nature is one to focus on and we want to make sure we capture and present this as a great visitor experience.
• We want to also tap into the thoughts of visitors.
• The strategy provides the platform for future solutions, collaboration and investment.
• We want to create a thriving, sustainable destination that benefits all Canberrans.
• I encourage everyone here to get involved and contact my team with your ideas.

Thank you to David Marshall for the wonderful contribution this forum makes to the industry - there is nothing else like it in the country.

More information about the Tourism Cooperative Marketing Fund is available on the website. Applications close 5pm on 22 January.