Tourism trends to be explained at the 2016 Victorian Tourism Conference

Victoria’s thriving tourism industry and the latest market trends that impact visiation will be put under the spotlight at the 2016 Victorian Tourism Conference at the end of this month.

Presented by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), the conference at Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre will feature an extensive program of presentations and workshops that aim to demystify current tourism industry trends and arm tourism businesses with the essential tools for capitalising on the current market.

An important contributor to Victoria’s economy, the tourism and events industry currently employs 204,000 people, half of this in regional locations, and generates more than $20 billion per year.

The future for the tourism industry looks bright, with continued strong growth predicted for key markets - backed by the latest data from the International Visitor Survey which showed that, in the year ending March 2016, international overnight expenditure in Victoria grew by a remarkable 23.7% to reach $6.7 billion.  This figure far exceeds that national average growth of 17.6%.

With the latest global figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization showing tourism spending is on the increase with total outbound travellers increased by 10% to 128 million, the VTIC suggests that with such great opportunity for growth, it’s never been more important to businesses to keep abreast of current trends in an effort to maximise their growth.

Keynote speakers at the 2016 Tourism Conference will uncover a host of latest trends and open the forum for discussions and workshops that will help delegates ensure their businesses are one step ahead.

Author and keynote speaker, Steve Sammartino, will set the scene for the conference, taking a close look at the digital revolution and highlighting ways tourism businesses can thrive in this new environment.

Mobile usage is continuing to grow and there’s no end in sight. Research shows that connected travellers are more satisfied with their experiences and also share more of their adventures along the way; acting as powerful brand ambassadors.

Social media guru, Sam Mutimer, founder of Thinktank Social, will look at strategies for meaningful engagement on the worldwide web.

In another session of the conference, Google Australia’s Head of Tourism, Dougal McKenzie will share his insights into the way consumers dream, plan and book their travel and how these behaviours evolve day by day, minute by minute. McKenzie will captivate audiences with his studies on how tourism business can capitalise on these new trends.

The 2016 Victorian Tourism Conference is being held on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th July.

Click here to view event details in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

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