Australian tourism looking up on weakened dollar

Australian tourism looking up on weakened dollar
By admin


The weakening Australian dollar has been described as a “boon” for tourism by Tourism and Transport Forum chief Ken Morrison as industry concerns over the exchange rate fell to its lowest levels in three years.

The latest TTF-Mastercard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey, launched today in Canberra, paints an overall “positive picture” for the industry, with operators rating international performance in the December quarter with an index of 139 with domestic at 125 – the highest levels since the study began. The numbers are above average for the time of year, Morrison revealed.

“The TTF-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey backs up recent tourism data showing that international visitation continues to rise and that domestic overnight visitors are spending $1 billion a week around the country,” he said.

“We are also seeing positive sentiment about key business indicators including forward bookings, sales and profitability which bode well for the industry’s future.”

Relief over the declining dollar coincides with a rise in “upside concerns” over issues such as destination reputation and inadequate room supply.

Visa reform also emerged as an issue considered vital to enabling the continued growth of inbound visitors, particularly from India.

“More broadly, visa reform is also seen as a key issue by the industry, especially moving to online processes in a range of languages, along with the cost of applications and the provision of multi-year visitor visas,” Morrison said.

Tourism marketing and air access were seen as the next most critical issues. 

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