Tourism is predicted to be Australia’s second fastest growing industry over the next 20 years. Tourism has a large economic multiplier. For every dollar tourism earns directly in the Australian economy, another 87 cents is added to other parts of the economy.
There is a growing number of high end tourists looking for unique experiences. For example, a Tourism Australia’s Restaurant Australia campaign promoted Australia as a food destination—including flying in 80 international food writers for press tours.
Ecotourism is expected to continue to grow. Eco-tourists primarily want to visit natural attractions and related cultural assets. To meet their expectations, operators need to be skilled in lands and parks management—and their operations and infrastructure need to be environmentally friendly. Their guides also need to be knowledgeable about local culture.
Indigenous experiences are an opportunity for huge growth, as they are seen to be authentic and unique to the area in which they occur. The connection with meaningful Aboriginal cultural experiences is a unique selling point for Australia and skills development is required to help meet the increased demand for these experiences.
Wellness tourism is another area predicted to grow as consumers look for experiences that benefit their general health and wellbeing. Wellness tourists spend 130% more than the average tourist and cross over into niches like culinary tourism, adventure tourism, agri-tourism, sports tourism and cultural tourism. Wellness tourism is predicted to grow by almost 50% faster than tourism overall.
Ten years ago over 70% of Australians travelling overseas used a conventional travel agent and about a third used alternatives like direct bookings with airlines and hotels. This number is dropping dramatically, as more people book travel and accommodation online. The industry says that the traditional role of the travel agent as the booking agent has changed into one of the adviser, and it’s this customer service that will be critical in sustaining businesses’ profitability in the future.
Source: Skills IQ Environmental Scan for Tourism, Travel and Hospitality