Austrade & Tourism Australia on Norfolk
If you missed the presentation by John Brand from AUSTRADE and Leigh Sorenson from Tourism Australia here is a quick recap for you.
John Brand is the Consul General and Senior Trade Comssioner to New Zealand. He advised that AUSTRADE can give financial assistance and free advice to businesses wanting to engage in commerce overseas. John directed us to the website www.austrade.com.au for more information on the Export Market Development Grants Scheme that not only provides information but also conducts courses online in export basics. There is also an Australian suppliers database for quick reference on potential competitors and those already trading. John reminded us that our websites are our "calling card" and for business people to 'be hungry'' and chase business utilising all of the tools and knowledge available. Also exporters should become familiar with the INCO terms (International Chamber of Commerce) which are the standard for overseas trade and are crucial to quoting delivery pricing.
Australia has approximately 42000 exporters and 17000 of those are to the New Zealand market which is a tech savvy and adventurous market. email: info@austrade.gov.au Ph: 132878
Leigh Sorenson is the Tourism Australia General Manager for Industry Relations. Leigh started the presentation by playing us the new advertisment for Tourism Australia that is shown around the world. "There's Nothing Like Australia"" with a repëtition of "You don't see it you feel it . The emphasis of the campaign is on aquatic and coastal experiences. There was definitely room for Norfolk Island in this campaign due to our beautiful coast and aquatic experiences and the campaign had only just launched and would continue for at least two years.
Australian Tourism has been instructed to stay clear of the domestic market and focuses on international markets only. To this end TA has over 200 global partners and from the 150 million dollars of exposure more than 60 million comes from the partners. Leigh also advised that visitor spending is up 7.5 million dollars.Although New Zealand is the largest visitor market they are only fourth in spend due to many visitors staying with relatives and visiting for non- tourism purposes.
Australia is seen as a safe and welcoming environment and also security was important for potential visitors.
Leigh spoke breifly about Signature Collections which are experience that are offered in Australia that don't fall into the big attraction categories like Food and Wine, Aquatic and Coastal etc. This is a potential area for Norfolk to get involved in and could include great walks, luxury lodges, golf, world heritage etc where similar experiences pool their resources and present as a "collection".
Leigh spoke about many other opportunites for Norfolk such as Tourism Export Toolkits with information on how to deal with tourism organisations and inbound wholesalers. Also tips on how to maximise social media exposure through the Tourism Australia social media channels.
Tourism.australia.com is the corporate website that has lots of information such as Travel Club with product videos, Aussie Specialist Club, The Insight Files, Tourism logos and marketing materials.
A very informative and motivational talk by both gentlemen and a glimpse at the new markets that will be available to Destination Norfolk Island.
