Tourism Australia to operate new Asian Marketing Fund.
The Federal Government has announced $61 million in funding for a new dedicated Asian Marketing Fund as part of the budget this evening.
The money is to be spent promoting There’s nothing like Australia to Asian consumers, with Tourism Australia chairman Geoff Dixon saying the move reflects the growing importance of the region which is expected to deliver 2.5 million visitors to Australia this year alone.
“With this new dedicated fund, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to further drive both existing campaign activity and new marketing efforts across our fastest growing and most valuable inbound visitor markets,” he said.
Dixon said that while TA continues to balance its international campaigns including activity in traditional markets such as the UK and USA, “nobody can deny that the opportunities that lie before us are in this Asian century”.
Funding is ongoing and amounts to $61m over the four year forward estimates period: $8.5m in 2012/13, $14m in 2013/14, $17.5m in 2014/15 and $21m in 2015/16.
The money represents 10% of the increased amount of the Passenger Movement Charge, with TA md Andrew McEvoy saying it will allow the organisation to significantly increase its media spending.
He said Tourism Australia would target high yielding consumer segments in growing, key Asian markets including existing targets and those with long-term potential.
“This commitment in a tight fiscal environment will be greatly welcomed by the Australian tourism industry – further supporting the visitor economy, which continues to contribute significantly to our country’s economic growth and supports more than 900,000 jobs across the country,” McEvooy said.
More information in tomorrow’s Travel Daily.