Hingerty: tourism and education ‘must do better’
Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) MD Matt Hingerty has called for Australia’s export sectors to work with each other more effectively to market Australia as a key tourist destination.
Speaking at the Adventure and Backpacker Industry Conference in Sydney last week, Hingerty told delegates the changed world of tourism will force Australia’s export sectors to work collaboratively on a national mission.
He said: “The customer like never before is going to be in control. We have to accept that the world is changed and it’s not going to go back to where it was. We’ve got to have a vision about the future, a national mission in our industry.”
Hingerty added Australia’s export industries are having difficulties, with education not talking to tourism. “There is a lot of work going on to try and stitch us together,” he said.
But English Australia executive director Sue Blundell said the problem was a two-way street. “You could also reference the other way – that tourism hasn’t been particularly proactive in talking to the educational visitor or education sector about their visitors to Australia and what they do while they’re here.”
Blundell added the education industry is the country’s third largest export industry, larger than tourism and second only to iron ore and coal.
By Alice Terlikowski · November 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Comments
12 Nov 09
12:02 pm
I have to agree with Sue. Tourism does not participate at the level that they probably should. WYSTC is a good example where they do, but for the Education Industry WYSTC is but one of many avenues. Education deals with the more serious part of the International Students life in Australia. The students priority is study and it costs them, a lot. Travel is maybe a 3rd or 4th priority for the students.
Tourism has to meet the needs of the Education sector. And having been around the block a few times with education providers I can tell you its not easy to match our prices and products to what International Students can afford. So you can force all you like, but forcing the price down isn’t a popular move in most business circles. But we’ll keep trying.
Greg Cole
General Manager
Oz Experience
12 Nov 09
9:47 pm
I would point the finger at both industries, especially national and state industry bodies, where personal preferences preclude cooperation and marketing.
The education sector still…. defers to physical offshore events and distribution of brochures, yet I do not know of one institution or body with a well SEO Search Engine Optimised website e.g. linking to offshore partners?
Why? The existing industry personnel informed by physical structures, hierarchies etc. feel they are losing control and authority by using the better internt based channels (or generally can’t be arsed to learn). Therefore, inefficient and uneconomic marketing practises are avoided in preference to travelling for physical events.
I would suggest both sectors are to blame, because many personnel see their counterparts as competition, same as the education sector personnel view offshore agents i.e desperate to stay inside international loop, i.e. relevant and travelling…..
13 Nov 09
7:56 am
Hi Andrew,
I might be wrong, but aren’t the offshore events an incredibly successful platform for the Education sector? And given the investment required by the student isn’t 1:1 contact an imperative?
Other than that I’m not quite sure what your message is, but I’m interested so please expand your point.
Greg Cole
13 Nov 09
2:03 pm
Griffith, Southern Cross and Victoria universities are currently conducting a national survey of international students to look at their tourism behaviour whilst studying in Australia. This study is funded by the Sustainable Tourism CRC. It will deliver insights into the capacity for Australia’s tourism industry to engage with this major potential market. If you would like to find our more, please contact Sarah Gardiner, Research Coordinator (email: s.gardiner@griffith.edu.au).
13 Nov 09
9:08 pm
1:1 is important, on telephone, on email, Skype/video, face to face but you cannot expect prospective to wait once or twice per year to meet a travelling institutional person at a physical events (who cannot advise on visas nor occupations).
Study application process takes minimum 3-4 weeks, and up to 18 months till point of actually commencing onshire in Oz… it is not just a sale by application.
In earlier days the Oz education (state) sector was and still is informed by AWB, Wool Board etc. physical promotional models where until recently Oz international education was a commodity to be sold…..
There is a perception and activity from Oz education sector, if you allocate budget, it must work. Further, fairs encourage aggressive short term selling to justify expense (and return visits) ….. but application alone does not count for anything it is just an expression of interest that can be disregarded.
We have assisted institutions, Australian and European, with market entry strategies and market development in Central Eastern Europe and Turkey.
From Australian context problems are:
1. Low awarenees of Australia, preference for selling vs marketing, i.e. no analyis of exisiting candidates, how they found instuitutions etc..
2. Austrade Turkey has a paying subscriber only website that gets little traffic, and encourages interested institutions to spend on one off fairs, versus strategy via internet and counsellors, more direct, reaches regional cities, effective, economic and analysable….but travel not required…
2. Education fairs are very expensive (smaller institutions do not do total costs AUDK), limited to small window e.g. 3 days /365, loosely targetted visitors, 3-5K visitors including walk ins off street etc. (versus dedicated study abroad portal in Turkey with 10-15K daily targetted visitors from all Turkey, cost one year AUD2-5K).
3. We have participated 10+ times (with Oz instns), and analysed, less than one application and candidate who has gone on to commence (application is only expression of interest, instn leaves town, then agent is required to follow up, help with visa and accommodation etc., then hopfully student actually commences).
4. Target audience generally has no need for education fair in e.g. Turkey, all schools and universities whether private or public have study and careers counsellors, plus wider and more detailed info available off internet, plus agents.
Many international promotions officers now ask rhetorical question about institutional personnel who persist with education fairs, “They still do fairs, so they must be successful?”
Private sector measures success by actual course starters i.e. income from an offshore market , while for others travel approval to a fair is the successful outcome…. and are not interested in analysis….or base analysis on applications only.
Fact is, all students are online, and talking to friends and family, if you do not want to go online for marketing, suggests there is not much interest in marketing….
Many of those who prefer fairs admit that internet is much more effetcive but they do not check their direct enquiries (!!),and if they used internet they would not need to travel……
I did for M. Ed. dissertation via Victoria University about international students and their experience late 90s, most important marketing resources were word of mouth, counsellors, faculty, friends, alumni etc. and agents, now you can add the internet, plus imagery/culture etc. was a very significant factor.
PS Sarah, should be copy in VUT libraray entitled “Internationall Education: Experience of Students and Stakeholders”, basically consumer behaviour
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