AUSTRALIA's international visitor growth may be tapering off, but their average 'spend' is up.

According to the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), the international visitor market continues to grow, as fewer visitors are spending more during their stay. That delivered another $2 billion to the Australian economy over the past year.

ATEC managing director Peter Shelley said "the huge growth in visitor numbers seen in previous years is starting to taper but the quality of the visitor and their engagement with our product is showing no sign of slowing down". 

“Today’s International Visitor Survey (IVS) shows a modest growth in the number of visitors coming to Australia compared to previous double digit highs, but the growth in spend is continuing to hold up,” Mr Shelley said. 

“While the size of the growth has slowed, what we are seeing is a change in the profile of visitors from several markets  -- a result of recent promotional campaigns which focus on attracting higher spending visitors who stay longer.

“In the past few years we have seen a transition within the China market, where we now have significant growth in small group, more independent and more affluent visitors compared with what was typically a large group market in previous years.

“Similarly in the US we are seeing their spending increase as they look for a more immersive Australian experience highlighted during the (Crocodile) Dundee campaign, which was aimed at attracting high spending American visitors.”

Mr Shelley said Japan was enjoying a renewed love of Australia with both arrivals and spending up considerably.

“Japan is a market that has reconnected with Australia over the past few years and initiatives like the new direct ANA flights to Perth will help to further strengthen this relationship," he said.

"At the same time the UK, one of our largest and long term markets, is still severely troubled by the lack of stability and uncertainty caused by Brexit, but we look forward to seeing this market return to strength in coming years.

“Today’s numbers are pleasing given there are several geo-political factors at play impacting global travel. The numbers show our established markets remain solid, with new markets including India continuing on a significant growth trajectory, and that spending as a key performance metric continues to grow.”

ATEC's Meeting Place 2019 travel and tourism conference takes place at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 25-27.

www.atec.eventsair.com

www.tourismdrivesgrowth.com.au

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THE Vintage Golf Club may be in the Hunter Valley but the golf experience it offers may be more like chipping and putting the Loire Valley.

That’s because the charming Vintage Golf Club is located at the award-winning Château Élan, one Australia’s finest resorts. This Château not only offers direct access to one of the country’s leading golf clubs, but also a mix of relaxed luxury accommodation, a full-service spa, and six event venues, all in the heart of a world-famous Hunter food and wine region. 

The resort is rapidly becoming known as a premier business events and incentives destination, being a handy two-hour drive from Sydney or a one-hour flight to Newcastle from Brisbane.

Château Élan has developed a range of sophisticated accommodation types at the resort, including spacious suites with spa baths, and also atmospheric villas with modern facilities. All rooms have balconies or terraces overlooking The Vintage fairways and offer views of the Hunter Valley.

The Legends Bar and Grill serves à la carte fine cuisine throughout the day, and guests can surround themselves with breathtaking views over a bottle of wine. Also, The Wine Lounge offers an extensive, gourmet wine list, sourced from the leading vineyards of the Hunter region.

With an emphasis on relaxation and wellbeing, Château Élan’s The Spa holds 17 well appointed treatment rooms offering the latest massage and beauty procedures, hydrotherapy and exercise services, and also a lounge to sit back, relax and socialise.

The Vintage is itself a well-regarded local golf course that welcomes visitors with open arms.

The Vintage is a club that caters for everyone, yet does so without losing its true and original identity as one of the country’s premier golf resorts. It offers an 18-hole course, designed by Australian golf legend Greg Norman, which has been ranked among the best in Australia. 

The Vintage Golf Club is open seven days a week and offers open social competitions on Saturdays and Sundays. It also regularly offers special events such as its Coca-Cola Challenge on October 3, and the Melbourne Cup Race Day on November 5.

www.chateauelan.com.au

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IT WAS ALL ABOUT community legacy when teams from Hilton Brisbane planted 100 trees to mark global hospitality company Hilton’s 100^th year in May.

The tree planting was all about reinforcing Hilton Brisbane’s commitment to taking action on environmental and community initiatives and it aligns with Hilton’s Corporate Responsibility program, Travel with Purpose, which is focused on doubling social and community investment and cutting its environmental footprint in half by 2030. 

Hilton teams planted 100 native trees at Lambertia Close Park in Brisbane’s Mt Gravatt East nature corridor, putting shovel to soil to contribute to Brisbane City Council’s ongoing program to regenerate local habitats with native flora and fauna.

“One hundred trees for 100 years is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the community and help make Hilton’s Travel with Purpose goals a reality,” Hilton Brisbane general manager Chris Partridge said.

Mr Partridge said Hilton staff wanted to find a fulfilling way to celebrate Hilton’s ‘100 years of filling the Earth with the light and warmth of hospitality’.

Christopher Nassetta, Hilton president and chief executive officer said the 100th year of hospitality was an opportunity to reflect and put a stake in the ground for the future. 

“Conrad Hilton charted an ambitious course for Hilton in 1919, and I think he’d be proud of what we’ve accomplished so far,” Mr Nasetta said. “In my view, the world’s a better place because Hilton was born 100 years ago, and if we do our job right, the world will be a better place because Hilton’s in it for the next 100 years.” 

The tree planting was yet another example of the commitment and volunteering undertaken by Hilton Brisbane team members every year. Efforts like this have seen Hilton Brisbane win the Queensland Hotel Association’s award for Outstanding Community Service and Achievement three years in a row – 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Hilton celebrated its official 100th anniversary on Friday, May 31, 2019 – a momentous occasion for the global hospitality company with a history of innovation, which in 2019 was also recognised as a World’s Best Workplace by the Great Place to Work organisation. 

Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally. By 2030, Hilton plans to double its social impact investment and cut its environmental footprint by half.

Hilton tracks, analyzes and reports its environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s more than 5,700 hotels through LightStay, its performance measurement system. Travel with Purpose capitalises on Hilton’s global scale to catalyze local economic growth, promote human rights, invest in people and local communities and preserve the planet by reducing the hotel group’s impact on natural resources. The strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

www.hilton.com

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A RECORD influx of visitors from China and the United States have helped to again smash Brisbane’s tourism records.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said preliminary results from Tourism Australia’s International Visitor Survey revealed that visitors from Brisbane’s top five international markets had increased.

“In the year to June 2018, Chinese visitors increased by 24.6 percent to a record 259,000,” Cr Quirk said.

“Visitors from the USA climbed a sharp 8.6 percent to a record 100,000.

“These results were enhanced by 209,000 visitors from the New Zealand (up 9.5 percent), 132,000 from the UK (up 1.3 percent) and 60,000 from Germany (up 3.4 percent).

“These results have contributed to a record 1.4 million international visitors heading to our city overall, with expenditure reaching an all-time high of $2.5 billion over the year.” 

The percentage increase in tourism expenditure in Brisbane was a staggering three times higher than the national average. Overall spend in Brisbane was up 15.7 percent, compared with a 4.8 percent increase nationally. This totaled $2.5 billion in the year to June.

Cr Quirk said the city’s growing reputation as a tourism destination of choice and its “strong calendar of major events” had contributed to the rises. 

“Brisbane is a great place to visit – it’s a safe, vibrant, green and prosperous city, valued for its friendly and optimistic character and enjoyable subtropical lifestyle,” he said.

“A strong calendar of major events is also a major drawcard, with highlights including the Bledisloe Cup Rugby Test, the Ashes cricket, the Rugby League World Cup finals, Brisbane International (tennis) and World Science Festival Brisbane.”

The city’s economic development board, Brisbane Marketing, works with Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane Airport Corporation and airline partners on marketing and trade activities in various markets.

RECORD VISITOR NUMBERS

Both the national inbound tourism figures and Queensland’s are at record highs.

Australia recorded a record 8.4million visitors over the last financial year – up 6.2 percent on the previous year.

National overnight visitor expenditure (OVE) was $29.2 billion – another record up 4.8 percent over the previous year.

Queensland international visitor numbers climbed to 2.7million, a record increase of 4.1 percent over the previous year. Total OVE in Queensland was a record $5.7 billion, and increase of 8.1 percent.

Brisbane’s international visitor results, for the year-ending June 2018, saw all records broken, with overall visitors up 10 percent to 1.4 million and expenditure up 15.7 percent to $2.5 billion.

Top market for Brisbane was China, up 24.6% percent to a record 259,000. Next was New Zealand, with its own record of 9.5 percent annual growth to 209,000.

The UK was Brisbane’s third largest market, with visitation up 1.3 percent to 132,000. Fourth was the US, with a record 100,000 representing 8.6 percent annual growth.

Also impressive was source market Germany, producing a 3.4 percent annual growth of 60,000 visitors.

www.brisbanemarketing.com.au

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