Page 2880 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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Canberra is not currently serviced by a low cost airline. When combined with relatively moderate holiday appeal, this becomes a major barrier—especially for short breaks.
The introduction of a low cost carrier is likely to provide more trial and repeat visits.
As well as focusing on international flights, perhaps there is some food for thought in this issue.
Tourism is very important to the ACT. We have got in place a large number of significant icons—and I think we use them well—but from the visitor perceptions report from a body such as Tourism Research Australia, there is clearly much more to be done.
The work of Simon Anholt, who is recognised as the father of place branding, talks about having strategy, having substance and having significant action. I have had conversations with Mr Anholt via email. He has actually been to Canberra, and he said to me that he came, I think it was, in 2012, to meet with then minister Simon Crean. When he told all his friends he was going to Australia, they said, “What, a day in Canberra and six days in Sydney?” He said, “No, I am doing five days in Canberra and two days in Sydney.” They all said, “You’re mad.” He said, “The problem for you guys is people do not know you are there. I loved it.”
This is a guy who travels the world. He ranks cities. He ranks countries. He talks about identity. He talks about brand. And he said we had so much to offer in this place but we really had to get the branding right, we had to get the offer right and we had to get the strategy right to make it happen, because he felt there was enormous potential. That is my paraphrase of his words. But in his book, Places, he does talk about the need to have in place strategy, to be a place of substance so that you do matter in the scene and that you do have significant action so that people know you are implementing your strategy and people know that you do have substance.
I have just seen that the minister has dropped in an amendment, which I will have a look at while he is speaking, but we do need to see the reason for the decline, particularly off the back of the centenary year, and it would be good to have a report from the government by the last sitting day in October.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (6.27): I thank Mr Smyth for the annual tourism debate 2014 being brought on today. I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “notes the”, substitute:
“(a) June 2014 results of the International Visitor Survey, which showed that:
(i) national visitor numbers are up eight percent, while the ACT recorded a two percent increase;
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