Tourism Australia has launched a campaign to encourage major conferences and events to be staged in bushfire-ravaged areas
Minister for Tourism, Simon Birmingham said Tourism Australia’s Event Here This Year campaign was aimed at getting organisations to provide a much-needed boost to the local tourism industry by choosing Australia as the destination for their lucrative events.
“Business events are one of the most crucial sectors of our tourism industry delivering huge economic benefits to communities around Australia,” Senator Birmingham said.
“However, the sector has taken a hit in recent months with increases in cancelled events as well as a reduction in international event bookings, even in regions that haven’t been affected by the recent bushfires.”
He said the campaign was a call to all Australian businesses and organisations who had yet to book in meetings, their annual conference or exhibitions, to rally behind the tourism industry and choose Australia for their event this year.
“The fact is, many fire-affected regions still have the facilities to host both small and large-scale events, and this campaign encourages organisations to do their research and look at what options might be available,” Senator Birmingham said.
“This is a huge opportunity for Aussie businesses to support communities across Australia, whether it is those in fire-affected regions or other communities across Australia who are also feeling the pain from less visitors.”
Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism, Jonno Duniam said the Event Here This Year campaign would run in parallel with Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign, which was announced last week.
