Perth will host a major international tourism event this month when the Australian Tourism Exchange makes its way west for the first time in its 20-year history.
Perth will host a major international tourism event this month when the Australian Tourism Exchange makes its way west for the first time in its 20-year history.
Up to 1,700 tourism operators from 650 companies around Australia, 600 of the world’s top tourism buyers, wholesalers from 40 countries and 60 international and Australian media will spend the week starting June 18 in Perth, in the process injecting $10 million into the state.
ATE 05, to be held at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, provides a forum for Australian tourism operators to showcase their products, meet overseas contacts and negotiate deals.
This year it will enable influential international package tour operators to experience Western Australia and Australia first-hand.
It is the first time in the event’s 20-year history that the ATE will not be held in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. A new policy has meant the ATE will, from this year onwards, be held in a different city from year to year.
WA Tourism Minister Mark Mc-Gowan said it was one of the biggest conventions to be held in the state.
“This will have positive flow-on effects for the WA tourism industry for decades and decades to come,” he said.
“Delegations from China, Japan, Britain and the eastern states will come to Perth and around 2,500 will fly and stay here for nothing.”
Another benefit includes the 13,000 visitor nights that will be spent in Perth during the event. In the longer term the event will position the state as a leading holiday destination, and assist tourism growth.
The ATE is divided into eastern and western hemisphere modules. The eastern module will run from June 18 to 20 and be attended by buyers from Japan and elsewhere in Asia. The western module will run from June 21 to 24 with buyers from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Gulf countries, New Zealand and the South Pacific attending.
Tourism Australia has arranged for about 100,000 13-minute appointments for buyers and sellers to meet and do business. Buyers and sellers are also given free time to provide them with an opportunity to make unscheduled appointments.
Australian Hotels Association WA executive director Bradley Woods said the AHA had organised more than $1 million worth of free accommodation for its members.
“This equates to 4,500 rooms for delegates during the week-long ATE,” he said. “It is the largest contribution by a private sector participating in the event.
“Almost 30 AHA Perth metro hotel members are offering free accommodation.”
Mr Woods said it would be a huge week for state tourism and the hotel and hospitality industry.
“Perth and WA will be on show and the business opportunities that will flow on from this will be huge,” he told WA Business News.
“We will start to see the results from the ATE almost immediately.”
The Perth metropolitan region won’t be the only area to benefit from the ATE, with more than 80 tours taking delegates throughout the state to areas including Broome, Kalgoorlie, the Wheatbelt and the South West.
Opposition tourism spokesman Rob Johnston said WA was in desperate need of promotion after the State Government cut tourism marketing domestically and internationally about a year ago.
“I hope it will be of great benefit especially for operators who are predominantly small business operators,” he said.
Perth taxi drivers are already gearing up for the event, with the Taxi Council of Western Australia holding special driver education programs, creating special ranks and taxi welcome stickers.
TCWA chief executive Joanna Ammon said the ATE was an important event and business opportunity for Perth taxi drivers.
“There will be increased business during the week and more importantly the flow-on effect, which we hope will bring more visitors to WA. And of course more visitors means more business for our taxi drivers,” she said.
