SYDNEY, Australia (3 June 2006) -- The number of Japanese tourists heading to Australia has hit an all-time low, placing the lucrative $2.2 billion market in jeopardy. NSW has been badly hit, with a 30 per cent fall over the past five years. Tourism NSW said the Japanese market was bored with koalas and Sydney Harbour, so was turning to Europe, the US, and destinations closer to home such as China. "They don't find Australia attractive any more," Japan's largest tour company JALPA said. The accelerating decline is set to worsen with JAL rumoured to be considering stopping flights to Australia. In another blow, Tourism Australia's $21 million advertising campaign "Where the bloody hell are you?" has failed in Asia because they don't understand it. It was modified for the polite Asian market to: "So, why don't you come?" but industry leaders say the Japanese do not get the humour in the translation. In an effort to win back the market, Tourism Minister Fran Bailey sent an Action Plan Group to Japan this week to meet with government and travel industry leaders. But Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Christopher Brown said more was needed. He called on the NSW government for urgent funding and accused the tourism industry of being "fat, lazy and complacent". "NSW's position is becoming more and more dire. We have allowed Australia's position to slip in the most lucrative market on earth -- Japan." He added that NSW is the least-funded state in Australia for tourism. Throughout the '90s Japan was Australia's leading inbound tourism market, peaking at a record 814,000 visitors in 1997, but since then it has been in decline, hitting 686,000 last year. It is worse in NSW as visitors abandon Sydney for cities closer to home. The latest Tourism Research Australia figures show that Japanese tourists to NSW have fallen by 30.6 per cent over the past five years to 259,119. Numbers were tipped to fall another nine per cent by 2014. | | The Japanese have fallen out of love with koalas and the ever-increasing cost of tours to Australia. Starwood Hotels director of Asian global leisure sales, Bob Lunnon, said expensive flights and poor marketing had contributed to the sharp decline. He said the Japanese were no longer satisfied with the classic Sydney attractions. "They want an activity-based holiday, which is why the BridgeClimb has proved so successful. "But we need to be developing more tourist attractions, be they natural or man-made, in Australia," Mr Lunnon said. NSW Tourism spokeswoman Natalie Soltyszewski said cute animals and nature were no longer attractions for the valuable Japanese tourism market. "Many of them have done Sydney and it's up to us to give them new experiences," she said. JALPA's director Kazuyo McDonald said Japanese tourists were opting for short-haul destinations such as China and Thailand. "We are very worried," she said. She called on the airlines for more support. The price of flights continues to increase due to fuel prices and new taxes. They are forecast to go higher if Qantas becomes the sole carrier. SOURCE - Townsville Bulletin |
