Aussie tourism loses its 'mojo'

Australian tourism has "lost its mojo" since the heady 1980s when Paul Hogan lured Americans to its shores with the promise of a shrimp on the barbie, with the number of international tourists flatlining.

Australia Tourism and Transport Forum's Christopher Brown said the number of first-time holidaymakers to Australia had gone backwards in the past seven years. He accused the industry of riding on the back of the seminal Come and Say G'day campaign starring Hogan.

The only state to buck the downward trend was Victoria, with the You'll love every piece of Victoria jigsaw campaign, which was launched in 1993, "the most successful domestic tourism campaign the country has ever seen".

"For the first time ever tourists spent more money in Melbourne than Sydney last year," Mr Brown said.

The success of the Come and Say G'Day campaign - when Australia jumped from 78 to seven on America's most desired vacation list three months after its launch in 1984 - had encouraged a "cargo cult mentality", where the industry relied on advertising rather than developing new products and experiences to attract tourists.

"With the exception of Victoria, the country has sat around for 20 years waiting for another great ad to come along and save us," Mr Brown said.

The controversial So Where the Bloody Hell are You? ads, which were launched in 2006, failed to make an impact in the three countries that had most exposure to the campaign. Figures in December 2006 showed a drop in tourists from Japan, Germany and Britain.

"Where the bloody hell are you? - we're asking that of tourists at the moment," Mr Brown said.

While tourism in Asia had "gone through the roof", with an increase of more than 6 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region in the past seven years, the number of international holidaymakers visiting Australia had plateaued, growing by just 0.35 per cent. The number of first-time holidaymakers had fallen by 0.39 per cent.

"We have lost market share since the Olympic games - that's shameful," Mr Brown said.

He said the Victorian campaign had been so successful because it linked tourism to events such as the Grand Prix and the spring racing carnival and a "unique cafe culture".

"Queensland has the Barrier Reef, Sydney has the Harbour Bridge, but Melbourne has things to do, not just things to look at - that's its strategic advantage," Mr Brown said.

"It's a revolution Kennett started, Bracks continued and Brumby is riding the wave of. Numerous ministers have resisted the ego pull to throw it away for the sake of it, and have stuck with a campaign which has worked its socks off."

Mr Brown said that rather than worrying about the advertising campaign, the tourism industry needed to focus on how it could offer new products, such as a "compelling Aboriginal experience"or the "world's greatest eco-lodge". "We could have a fresh ad, but if the product is dusty people won't come back," he said.

But federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said the industry's competitiveness was under pressure from factors beyond its control, including rising fuel prices and a strong Australian dollar. He said the Government would develop a national tourism strategy.

Tourism Australia managing director Geoff Buckley said Australia's brand was still strong. "Our job continues to be shifting a widely held desire to visit into actual visits, amidst an increasingly competitive and challenging international environment," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News