News Tour Operators Japan – Australia Tourism Cooperation Strengths

Japan – Australia Tourism Cooperation Strengths

Written by Ozgur Tore

Sunday, 06 July 2008

Tourism Australia’s Chairman, Rick Allert AM and Richard Beere, Executive General Manager, International, returned from Japan this morning where they have been meeting with airline and travel agent representatives regarding changes in the Japanese market. An action group consisting of Tourism Australia, Tourism Queensland and Tourism Tropical North Queensland representatives have been developing strategies to combat the current issues. The delegation was welcomed by Japan for acknowledging the current situation, seeking solutions and reaffirming Australia’s commitment to the market. Demand is holding strong in Japan demonstrated by the Lovearth tour launch in Cairns this weekend, the arrival of 150 students from Kosei High School for a school excursion program, the Gold Coast Marathon with a 40% increase in Japanese participants, and the continued success of the World Heritage Campaign. On Monday Tourism Australia held a media event to announce our partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. This was met with strong interest from both the media and travel industry who were excited about the potential this will have in the promotion of Australian tourism.  Work has now begun on meeting the capacity demands for Cairns, especially from Nagoya and Osaka and building the business propositions for the Gold Coast. Discussions with airlines to examine potential capacity and service changes will continue over the next few weeks with a view to providing solutions back to the industry shortly.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 August 2008 )