The MEA National Conference is a great achievement for Australian tourism – that the meetings and events sector warrants such a large event which is so well-attended is a testament to your hard work.
In recent years, business events – spanning association meetings, incentive trips, corporate events and exhibitions – has become a major tourism industry in its own right, and a major economic driver in regional centres throughout Australia.
If you want proof of the impact of the sector, just look around.
This magnificent conference centre in Australia's Red Centre is a direct result of the growth in events, conference and business travel. And the economic and social benefits of the conference sector extend far beyond the walls of this building.
The international conference or meeting delegate is a high-yielding consumer who spends the most money in the accommodation, hospitality and retail markets; meaning your sector is an important centre of associated activity in the regions where events occur.
The National Business Events Study found international business events delegates spend around $3500 per trip compared with $2600 for other tourists. On a daily basis, they spend an average of $554 compared with $94 by leisure tourists.
This offers enormous potential for the broader tourism industry – extending a visit by international events visitors by just one day will significantly boost our tourism exports, already worth $22 billion a year. But while there is plenty of room for improvement – there is no room for complacency.
International competition in the sector is growing – the benefits are too great for any destination to ignore.
Events tourism – like this event today – is an economic hub, with the spokes extending to numerous small and medium businesses in areas surrounding major events.
With that economic dispersal in mind, I hope many of you have the opportunity to take advantage of the many pre- and post-conference touring options available around this event, especially the numerous Indigenous tourism options.
In the internationally competitive conference and events sector, the Indigenous tourism experience is a competitive advantage for Australia … If you experience the Aboriginal Dreamtime and Bushtucker Tour you'll know exactly what I am talking about, and I encourage you to take advantage of these unique cultural and educational experiences.
We cannot be complacent about Australia being able to hold its own against stiff international competition, that's why I have convened a Business Events Working Group to develop a strategy for the business events sector.
The Business Events Strategy Working Group includes representatives from the business events industry, Tourism Australia and the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Its objective is to develop a strategy that will deliver better outcomes through improved coordination, marketing focus, and cooperation between the industry and different levels of government.
In such a competitive international market, we cannot rest.
We must work together to fulfil Australia's enormous potential on the international and domestic scenes – the Business Events Strategy Working Group will help by bringing the key players together.
For Australia to compete, we need to make the most of what we can offer the world, and also establish a sound economic base for the tourism industry – for the business events sector, and for the wider tourism industry.
If the tourism industry is to meet the challenges of the future, it must address the fundamental issues facing the industry now. This will equip the tourism industry with a solid economically sustainable and responsible framework.
On the demand side, marketing will continue to be important, as I will refer to later in my remarks today.
I would like to make it clear at the outset that my vision for the business events sector – indeed, strategies for the wider industry – is not about industry handouts.
Handouts tend to be short-term fixes that reward the best lobbyists, not long-term industry solutions that benefit the most people.
One group I believe must benefit from tourism growth are the 480,000 Australians employed in the tourism industry. I want those Australians to know that their Government is working as hard as possible with industry to ensure their economic security into the future.
Not tourism jobs … tourism careers.
To achieve that, we will establish frameworks which strengthen your business, but we won't be telling you what to do.
The reality is that each of you knows your business better than the Government does.
But what we can do is support good business practice based on solid research which enables us to build business resilience in the face of looming challenges.
Ladies and gentlemen, in addition to outlining my support for the Australian Government to work with the business events sector to develop a strategy for the future, I would also like to take this opportunity to officially launch the Tourism Australia Business Events Australia Marketing Brochure and Australia Map.
The purpose of Tourism Australia's Business Events Marketing brochure is to market Australia as a premium business events destination. The brochure will be distributed to an international audience in key business events markets including North America, UK/Europe, New Zealand, North and South Asia, and Japan.
The target audience is international corporate meeting and incentive buyers located within large corporations, incentive houses, professional conference organisers, event management companies, international media and Government agencies. Copies of the Brochure and Map can be obtained from www.businessevents.australia.com.
Last month I spoke to 1700 delegates from Amway Greater China, so I have a firsthand knowledge of just how important the business events, incentives and conferences segment of the market.
Indeed, those 1700 delegates represented just one-quarter of Amway Greater China's 2008 incentive group.
With such numbers, and with such a high yield, is it any wonder your sector has grown so fast?
Ladies and gentlemen, as Minister for Tourism I am driving a number of initiatives which will directly benefit the tourism industry into the long term, but I am a firm believer, along with the Prime Minister, that Government does not hold all the answers.
Your growth over the past few years shows that you have a great insight into the key drivers of the tourism sector. I look forward to working with you to further build this industry – together we can achieve great things.