From the CEO
I think it’s fair to say Australian tourism has come a long way since Paul Hogan encouraged people to throw “an extra shrimp on the barbie” in the ’80s.
It was a very successful – and let’s face it, very memorable – campaign. And right for the time. But the image we present to the world is a lot more sophisticated now and that’s really important when you consider the role of tourism in today’s economy.
Recent reports released by Tourism Research Australia indicate that the industry is booming. Domestic and international travellers spent a record $121 billion in the year to March 2017 and the sector supports one in 13 jobs. Most visitors come from New Zealand, followed by China (which, by 2018, is expected to overtake New Zealand as Australia’s top inbound tourism market in terms of visitor numbers – two years earlier than previously forecast). The United States is the third-largest market, followed by the United Kingdom and Japan.
When I talk to people overseas about Australia, the same things come up again and again: the open spaces, fresh air, natural beauty, animals (both the friendly and not so friendly) and the food and wine. And to show some things haven’t changed since the shrimp days, our laid-back culture often gets a mention. In pure marketing terms, a holiday in Australia is a fantastic product to sell.
Funnily enough, similar themes came up when we asked people to help name our new Dreamliner fleet. We wanted the names to reflect the spirit of Australia and we received 60,000 suggestions. The final eight include Skippy, Quokka, Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Dreamtime and Boomerang. People often say they feel a sense of home when they see a Qantas tail at an overseas airport and we hope that spotting one of these names beneath the cockpit window will also make them smile.
A number of Qantas aircraft are named in honour of regional towns. Australians already know that they’re great places to visit but we’re now seeing a lot of overseas travellers heading there as well. Return visitors in particular are heading beyond the big cities to destinations such as Orange in NSW; Victoria’s Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas; and Broome, Albany and the Swan Valley in Western Australia. Because of this demand, we’re adding Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia, to our network. It’s an amazing place to visit.
Qantas invests a lot to attract visitors to Australia, as does Tourism Australia and the tourism bodies in each state and territory, which is crucial considering the industry’s economic impact. But it’s the people on the front line – from our cabin crew to those who run motels and hotels, lead tours and work at information centres – who influence how welcome visitors feel on their journey. And that’s the true spirit of Australia.