AmyHuang
The downfall of the Australian tourism industry
There is nothing like Australia. Shouts the tag line of Tourism Australia. Pictures of beautiful landscapes and mighty gorges trying to lure both domestic and international visitors alike just isn't working. Even Operah is slowly losing her appeal after her brief visit, with Australia still not on the top visited countries in the world.
In fact, Australia didn't even make the top 10 most visited countries in the world in 2010, and I personally don't see it making the list in 2011 either.
Simply put: Australia is just too far away. We are naturally 'gert by sea', and seperated from the rest of the world. Our closest neighbours are holiday heavens themselves and often cheaper and better than us. And there are only so many Kiwis to go around the industry to make any profit out of them.
And a few more things:
Touring around Australia gets too expensive and too hard. While other countries have fast rails, excellent cheap flights within the region (think, AirAsia, Ryan Air/Easyjet... etc) - Australia lacks all this. On top of that - an average hotel room (let's say, a 2-3 star hotel) cost more than an equivalent quality hotel else where. It's not like we have character either. In Europe, I'd quite happy to pay a bit more to stay in a Chateu or a villa. In Asia, a 5- star hotel cost the same as our 3- star, and you get treated like a star. Our hostels for backpackers are not competitive either with a dorm bed averaging around $25-$30 (compared to Asia which average around $10 and in Europe around the same but includes a good breakfast) and there are not that much facilities for the budget consciout backpacker in the country/outback areas. Domestic flights in Australia are relatively expensive and it's not like travelling by rail is any better.
And then - there is the hospitality - well, there isn't a lot is there? I know all the famous people (like Operah) claims they've never met anyone as friendly as the Australians... to be honest, if you were spending a couple of million (or have the exposure power like celebrities)... anyone would be friendly to you really. However there has been a lot of complains about the quality of service people have received in Australian hotels/restaurants. In a Melbourne 5 star hotel, the receptionist made me felt like I owe them money personally. To me, this is a major draw back, as it is so easy (and cheap!) to travel to Asia or the Pacific Islands these days, and even in a hostel in Asia you experience genuine hospitality and value for money - why would you want to travel within Australia?
Service, where the bloody hell is it? - SMH.com.au 2011
Australia, boring, too expensive - news.com.au 2009
Tourists give Australia a miss - theaustralian.com.au 2010
In fact, Australia didn't even make the top 10 most visited countries in the world in 2010, and I personally don't see it making the list in 2011 either.
Simply put: Australia is just too far away. We are naturally 'gert by sea', and seperated from the rest of the world. Our closest neighbours are holiday heavens themselves and often cheaper and better than us. And there are only so many Kiwis to go around the industry to make any profit out of them.
And a few more things:
Touring around Australia gets too expensive and too hard. While other countries have fast rails, excellent cheap flights within the region (think, AirAsia, Ryan Air/Easyjet... etc) - Australia lacks all this. On top of that - an average hotel room (let's say, a 2-3 star hotel) cost more than an equivalent quality hotel else where. It's not like we have character either. In Europe, I'd quite happy to pay a bit more to stay in a Chateu or a villa. In Asia, a 5- star hotel cost the same as our 3- star, and you get treated like a star. Our hostels for backpackers are not competitive either with a dorm bed averaging around $25-$30 (compared to Asia which average around $10 and in Europe around the same but includes a good breakfast) and there are not that much facilities for the budget consciout backpacker in the country/outback areas. Domestic flights in Australia are relatively expensive and it's not like travelling by rail is any better.
And then - there is the hospitality - well, there isn't a lot is there? I know all the famous people (like Operah) claims they've never met anyone as friendly as the Australians... to be honest, if you were spending a couple of million (or have the exposure power like celebrities)... anyone would be friendly to you really. However there has been a lot of complains about the quality of service people have received in Australian hotels/restaurants. In a Melbourne 5 star hotel, the receptionist made me felt like I owe them money personally. To me, this is a major draw back, as it is so easy (and cheap!) to travel to Asia or the Pacific Islands these days, and even in a hostel in Asia you experience genuine hospitality and value for money - why would you want to travel within Australia?
Service, where the bloody hell is it? - SMH.com.au 2011
Australia, boring, too expensive - news.com.au 2009
Tourists give Australia a miss - theaustralian.com.au 2010
