News

The Australian tourism industry is set for an overhaul in order to reverse a trend of falling visitor numbers, according to reports.

Speaking at a recent industry conference, Tourism and Transport Forum managing director Christopher Brown revealed that the number of international visitors to Australia increased by only 0.35% over the past seven years.

The number of first-time visits to the country dropped by 0.39%.

Mr Brown said that the most worrying trend relates to spending, with Australians spending $22bn (£10.6bn) abroad last year and visitors coming to the country spending $22.4bn.

'This means Australia will soon become a net importer of tourism,' he explained.

Mr Brown praised the government for playing an active part in the tourism industry and said that this needs to continue in the future, while the market itself needs to be bold and inventive.

'The role of the government should be to create an environment that stimulates innovation,' he said.

'The tourism industry itself needs to step up to the plate and be the innovator.'

Opodo cheap flights and hotels - let the journey begin!