Australia tightens hold on China incentives

North Asia showcase highlights business events

Australia’s North Asia Business Events Showcase comes to a close today in Shanghai as the country seeks to strengthen its position as the incentive destination of choice for Asian groups.

Figures from the organisation’s ‘Tourism 2020’ report show that Australia welcomed 893,000 international business event delegates for the year ending September 2013, with a total expenditure of about US$12 billion. Some 86,000 Chinese business events visitors spent about $266 million in Australia during that period.

China is now Australia’s third largest market for business events, behind the US at first place and New Zealand. It is the second largest market for in-bound tourism in general.

Tourism Australia managing director, John O’Sullivan, says quality business facilities, food and wine, environment and world-class programmes for incentive groups of any size contributed to Australia’s appeal in China.

“Last year Australia played host to two major incentives with Sydney hosting 3,000 Perfect China delegates and Gold Coast hosting 1,000 delegates from Herbalife China, and wowed them with a combination of business meetings and encounters with our nature and wildlife,” Mr O’Sullivan says. “There are indications that the positive upward trend we’ve seen in incentive bookings from China looks set to continue with a number of significant group incentive bookings confirmed for Australia throughout 2014 and 2015.”

One of the bigger incentive groups that Australia will host in 2014 includes 6,000 delegates from Pro-Health China to Sydney.

Read More