The project we’re celebrating today exemplifies the theme of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy — strengthening the supply side of our tourism industry.
Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef is investing in quality tourism experiences.
You’ve been able to attract a lucrative niche market.
By doing so, you’ve added three new ongoing employment positions.
More importantly, you’re improving the value of the local tourism industry and adding to the region’s prosperity.
For example, local suppliers in Exmouth have benefitted from the extra trade with Sal Salis.
More than 850,000 visitors came to the Coral Coast region last financial year.
Between them, they spent nearly $400 million.
Visitor spending sustains more than 1,600 businesses in the Coral Coast region which rely on tourism.
And nearly half of those employ fewer than 20 people, making tourism an integral part of this region’s small business sector.
Over the past few years, you’ve done a huge amount of work to bring Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef up to the standard you’ve reached today.
New chefs have raised the quality of the cuisine – including three-course dinners for the first time.
Visitors are enjoying unprecedented luxury at Ningaloo Reef – including premium bedding, chilled storage and great wines.
The number of guides has doubled, giving visitors access to even better local expertise on the flora, fauna and marine life around them.
The camp has a new name and a new brand.
Importantly, you’ve moved the business from day-trippers to in-house guests, and higher revenue followed.
You’re accommodating travellers with more time on their hands, bigger ideas and more money to spend.
There can be few destinations on the west coast of Australia to rival Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef.
Indeed, the UK’s Tatler magazine rated yours among the best hotels in the world, one of only two Australian properties to receive such an accolade.
So the Australian Government was proud to contribute $100,000 through the TQUAL Grants program.
This investment has been used mainly to improve the supply and quality of the tents and boardwalks.
The boardwalks help to reduce the human impact on the dunes.
More tents allow Sal Salis to expand its unique brand of nature tourism, without compromising the feel of the camp – especially during the whale shark season.
And if more skilled staff can live on-site thanks to better accommodation, the whole experience for visitors improves.
Altogether, the project was worth just under half a million dollars – money that will go on working for the local economy for years to come.
I congratulate everyone involved in the Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef project, and I applaud your dedication and long-term commitment to quality and sustainable tourism.
To date, the Australian Government has invested over $8 million in TQUAL Grants.
That financial support across Australia is bolstered by a further $40 million announced at last year’s election.
Over the next four years, TQUAL Grants will continue to assist Australian tourism businesses to bring innovative new products and services to market.
We’ll be supporting more community-based tourism projects with grants of up to $100,000.
And we will also support larger, strategic projects that help to make the Australian tourism industry more competitive.
Bigger picture
Roughly one in 20 working Australians is directly employed in tourism, with a similar number relying on tourism to an extent for their livelihood.
So the Australian Government wants the most productive, innovative, diverse and high-quality industry possible.
The National Long-Term Tourism Strategy includes a national accreditation scheme.
After all, this is a growing challenge for our industry – how to ensure that Australian tourism stands out in a crowded, and increasingly-demanding, market place.
That’s why we developed the National Tourism Accreditation Framework.
By providing consumers with a means to identify quality tourism products and services, the framework will provide an incentive for tourism businesses to improve the quality of the products and services they offer.
It also offers businesses the opportunity to differentiate themselves in the market by being associated with an internationally recognised symbol of quality — the TQUAL mark.
The good news is that people want to travel again, after the global economic downturn.
The No Leave No Life campaign – including the TV series that recently ran on national television – is encouraging Australians to see more of our great country.
Internationally, the news is even more positive.
More overseas visitors have been coming to Australia.
Last year, the numbers increased by five per cent, and visitor nights and expenditure were also up.
As many of you will be aware, the Oprah Australia specials have screened in the United States.
With an audience measured in the tens of millions, the exposure is priceless.
And finally, I had the pleasure last night of officially welcoming Ningaloo-Shark Bay to Australia’s National Landscapes program.
National Landscapes represent our most spectacular natural and cultural environments.
At the local level, the program brings together a number of community and regional organisations who have an interest in protecting and promoting these special places.
The program is also helping regional tourism operators develop quality tourism products and services, celebrating the unique environmental significance of the landscape.
20 years ago, Shark Bay was inscribed in the World Heritage List in recognition its outstanding cultural and natural character.
Ningaloo-Shark Bay’s inclusion in the National Landscapes program is a further achievement.
Conclusion
On behalf of the Australian Government, I congratulate everyone who’s played a part in the expansion and upgrade of Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef.
And I wish you every success as you continue to build a thriving local business with a truly international reputation.
Thank you