Kangaroos and cliches stifling Australian tourism, says Packer
The tourism sector is lagging due to outdated notions of who we are, and what we offer, according to one of the country's richest men
Packer believes Australia should be marketing its cities -- not furry animals. Australian tourism is letting itself down by sticking to outdated clichés, according to one of the country’s richest men.
Marketing campaigns promising to “throw a shrimp on the barbie” and asking “where the bloody hell are you?” have been a waste of $500 million of taxpayers' money, says James Packer, son of the late media tycoon Kerry Packer.
Tourism’s contribution to the national economy has plummeted from 3.4 percent to 2.6 percent over the last decade. Its world ranking in tourism competitiveness has dived from fourth in 2008 to 13th, according to a World Economic Forum Report.
Casino mogul Packer says the latest campaign –- featuring Americans navigating a four-wheel drive through the outback looking for kangaroos –- is geared towards backpackers on “$50 a day," and would do little to change fortunes.
In a rare interview with The Saturday Age, a frustrated Packer said tourism was a “lost opportunity.”
He said a “tired and aging … Sydney has fallen behind not only other Australian cities like Melbourne, but also our regional competitors. And it is a regional market -- we're competing with Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.”
James Packer, who has an estimated net worth of $3 billion, believes marketing should target the affluent, middle-class Asian market to arrest stagnation in the sector.
This comes as the Chinese have emerged as the primary force in Australia's tourism sector.
Packer believes Australia needs to market the cities –- and imitate Singapore's and Macau's initiatives -- rather than selling the Great Barrier Reef and the desert.
“The majority of tourists want to go to man-made attractions, not the outback," he said.
And Packer, who owns Melbourne’s Crown Casino and another in Macau, believes this is what Asian tourists are after, putting him at odds with a Federal campaign to limit gambling.
He believes tourism is being held back by five factors: a strong Australian dollar, antiquated visa applications for Asian visitors, run-down tourist facilities, key inbound tourist markets suffering natural disasters, and fierce competition from our Asian neighbors.
Australia’s selling itself short, according to Packer. Hotel owners and tour operators desperate for business agree. Even the chairman of Tourism Australia, Geoff Dixon, believes a lack of investment in tourism infrastructure and protectionist visa regulations are holding Australia back.
The premier, Barry O’Farrell, agreed that tourism needs to sell a modern Sydney, rather than outdated clichés, reports Smh.com.au.
He said the multicultural hub of Cabramatta was an “extraordinary place to visit on a weekend.”
"And there are many other places like that across this city," O’Farrell said. "So I think we are dealing with a far more sophisticated tourism trade than simply sausages on barbies and looking for kangaroos.”
