Aussie Businesses Make Pitch for Summer Tourists
Think tourism Down Under is a big deal?
Tourism Australia's goal is to increase Australia's tourism industry by up to $140 billion by the year 2020. Will your business contribute to that goal? Will your business be able to claim your market share?
Check out how similar companies to yours in the tourist business are planning to entice visitors from around the globe.
How Others Are Working It
Hilton routinely discounts room rates when the rest of world wants to swap out their shovel with a beach towel. This gives visitors a break on costs, and fills up the hotel's rooms, usually bringing them up to capacity. Tourist package companies are partnering with advertisers like Viator to draw tourists whenever they conduct online searches for Australia visitor attractions. Some resorts offer guests a total package that includes guided wildlife tours, snorkeling excursions, scuba diving trips and more.
Where Are They Coming From?
Visitors to Australia come from all over the world, in numbers reaching into the six millions, at last count.
Australia is a wildly popular destination for the people from Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, and the U.S. Though many are from English-speaking countries, French, Italian, Danish and the Spanish are also frequent visitors.
In years past, Chinese visitors have accounted for a large part of the Australian tourism market, and that upward trend is expected to continue in 2015. As such, your business should employ at least one person who is bilingual for each language.
Tip the Odds in Your Favor
First off, get your product or service listed on Australia.com by registering it with the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse. Australia.com is the country’s official tourism site, and it's usually the first stop on any visitor's virtual trip to see what Australia has to offer.
Next, support others' endeavors. Get involved with other businesses in your industry and consider creating package deals that you can market to visitors. For example, if you sell surfboards, partner with a surfing instruction company, and perhaps another sporting business. Sell group discounts for surfing lessons and a parasailing ride.
Market your services and products where tourists are—hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, airports, inside taxis and on the sides of buses. Don't be shy about renting advertising space and distributing fliers all around town.
One way to attract tourists to your business is to offer them value they can't get elsewhere. As the following article shows, offer them freebies like e-books or brochures on topics like, "how to manage your budget while on vacation," or "top kid's attractions in Australia." Visitors will appreciate you going out of your way to see things from their perspective.
Above all, make sure your employees show off that welcoming Australian attitude. If you do that, you'll have visitors who will keep coming back for more.
About the Author: Kate Supino writes extensively about marketing and best business practices.
