SYDNEY – Latest visitor arrival figures suggest Australia’s inbound tourism industry has largely weathered the Global Financial Crisis.
There is a “revived sense of optimism and purposeâ€, according to the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).
ATEC, the peak industry body, was commenting on the latest Overseas Arrivals and Departures data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which showed 485,400 short-term visitor arrivals to Australia in January 2010, a 4.8 percent increase from January 2009.
ATEC managing director Matt Hingerty said these figures showed that 18 months of hard work and sacrifice following the GFC had left the tourism industry leaner, stronger and ready to compete for the global tourism dollar.
“The inbound tourism industry was hit by everything but the kitchen sink during the GFC, and not only survived but positioned itself to prosper when economic conditions eased,†Hingerty said.
“As a discretionary item, tourism is one of the first industries to feel the impact of a slowing economy, and one of the first to rebound when things improve.
“The industry has worked hard to keep Australia front of mind with potential travellers overseas- hopefully these sustained marketing efforts will now start to bear fruit.â€
Hingerty said that while factors such as the continued strength of the Australian dollar meant that it would take a long time for the tourism industry to get back into stride, today’s OAD figures showed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“There have been some casualties on the way, and there may be some more,†Hingerty said.
“We’re a long way from declaring that the good times are back, but these figures show that the bad times may be ending.â€
