What excites you most about your role as Regional General Manager?
I joined Tourism Australia at the perfect time, actually. We’ve now all but finished talking about 2019 and the pandemic and are now in a forward-looking growth stage.
We’re seeing some strong aviation capacity going back into the Australian market and our visitor numbers are continuing to grow, which is great. In March 2024, we actually exceeded the number of visitors, when measured against the same month in 2019, which shows we’re moving into really positive visitor growth territory.
As we move into this new phase I’m really looking forward to carrying on the great work that was done before I joined the team.
How do you plan to work with the trade going forward?
We run an incredible Aussie Specialist Program, with dedicated team members covering both the UK and Europe. We run a lot of trade famils and trips down to Australia and host two big events each year – the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) and G’day – which are great opportunities for
our agents and buyers to experience Australia for themselves.
G’day is more about education, taking frontline agents to Australia to fully immerse themselves in the product and culture and experience it first-hand. ATE is more focused on buyers. We bring them down to talk to sellers and vendors in person and give them the chance to network across Australia. Both offer the chance to gain valuable product knowledge.
Are there any specific themes you are focusing on in 2025?
We’re leaning into what we’re calling “The Decade of Green and Gold”, with sport set to dominate the landscape over the next few years. It kicked off, so to speak, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 and will continue through to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
We have the English and Irish Lions Rugby tour this year, and are expecting around 15,000 Brits to come down for that. The Ashes, starting in November, is another great series that will attract around 20,000 visitors from the UK, so there are plenty of selling opportunities.
Beyond sport, we have an incredible cultural offering, from the ever-evolving gastronomic scene to Indigenous activities to luxury experiences and much more.
What would be your best advice for agents booking travel to Australia?
We have a wealth of resources available to agents, through our Aussie Specialist Program modules, our online resources, events and more. The value of engaging agents proves itself time and time again, in particular when they get the opportunity to experience Australia first-hand.
Why do you think Australia is an evergreen bucket list destination?
I think it’s all about that cultural connection, which has always been strong between Australia and the UK. Australia is a very aspirational and friendly destination with a lot of cultural similarities to the UK. Yet there is also plenty that makes the country unique, which is something that consistently attracts UK visitors.
