News not all bad for tourism: Roy Morgan

The global financial crisis has not deterred travellers as many tourism businesses believed, with many people actually benefiting financially from the downturn, one of Australia's top researchers says.

Roy Morgan Research Chief Executive Michele Levine told this week's National Tourism Futures conference on the Gold Coast that many businesses were under the mistaken impression that everyone was struggling during the global financial crisis.

Levine said while other countries had fared worst, the direct hit on Australians had been on their assets only and consumer confidence was still faring well.

While the very wealthy had lost big and had slowed their spending, young people and families with secure jobs had benefited financially from falling mortgage and fuel costs and the federal stimulus package.

The researcher told the conference "you've still got people who are confident - target them," adding that "the global financial crisis is just like the flu, and I mean by that, some people get sick and some people don't.

"We don't all get a little bit of the global financial crisis."

Levin said businesses needed to be mindful not to consider everyone to be down and out when marketing their product.

The Conference also heard that Tourism Australia (TA) was working on the next 'blockbuster ad' to revitalize Australian tourism.

TA Executive Chairman Rick Allert said the organisation was working hard to convert those enamored by Australia and its lifestyle to actual visitors, but he noted it was a tough job.

Allert said Australia's last marketing campaign, off the back of the Baz Luhrmann film, Australia, had done well to boost people's intentions to visit Australia by 22% in those who had seen the campaign.

Nevertheless, international visitors to Australia were forecast to fall 4% this year before growing by 3.1% in 2010.

The downturn, swine flu fears among Asian travellers, a strengthening Aussie dollar and quality concerns regarding international education sparked by the Indian student matter were all issues.