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May 13, 2011 – Australians have been clamoring for a while for a makeover; however, it does not need more casinos in its area.
With many people applying for tourist visa to Australia and other online Australian visa and travel visas to Australia, Australians are now seeing the need for a makeover for Australia to meet the demands of the tourists and travelers alike.
Though Australia has The Olgas, Ayers Rock, and the Grand Barrier Reef among others for its tourists “visiting options”, these are not primary destinations of visitors when they reach Australia.
Christopher Cummings, with 16 years in the tourism industry, commented on the state of tourism promotion in Australia. He commented that there are only very select tourism operators and regional tourism product is below international standards.
He also commented that overseas tourism representatives are boring and how taxpayers’ money is spent on administration of tourism bodies lackluster.
He further added that in the face of competing tourism products such as an African safari or the Alaskan wilderness, there is little attraction in the Australian outback internationally.
He advised that “the government should direct money away from administration and weak marketing campaigns and put the millions of taxpayers’ money into marketing Australia as a sophisticated, modern place with thriving metropolises, spectacular icons and a depth of indigenous and post-settlement history.”
Virginia Moorfield also commented that “Australia does need to reinvest in new experiences and tourism infrastructure; however, we still have points of difference that make us attractive to the rest of the world – and these are not casinos in capital cities. We need to continue to effectively promote our vibrant multicultural cities as well as our outback and wilderness experiences in a way that fits with the Australian brand values – authentic, original, inclusive and grounded. I see good evidence of that at Tourism Australia today.”
Many Australians do not believe that building more casinos is the key to Australia’s makeover. James Packer proposes that Australia should market itself to the affluent and rising middle-class Asian tourism market and commented that backpackers have lower value. This is not so.
Many Australians believe that Australia needs to attract both tourist types and they will increasingly complement each other. With the increasing travel visa Australia applicants and backpackers getting tourist visa in Australia, backpackers are said to make up 10 per cent of all visitors. They are travelling on a limited daily budget, staying longer, visiting more regions, outspending the average tourist two to one, and contributing more than $3 billion to the economy.
The government should be more lenient in their tourist visas to Australia and Australia visiting visa requirements in support of the suggested makeover of Australia.

Source:
smh.com.au