Page 1424 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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Everybody here would agree that Canberra is a unique visitor destination - as the national capital of Australia, as a totally planned city, and as a city with a wide variety and large number of attractions. The city is marketed internationally as a clean, green, safe and friendly destination. It offers the international visitor an experience of city life and culture and the nearby Australian bush. There is a growing number of built and natural attractions which offer international visitors very wide-ranging experiences, from the arts, cultural and heritage features to the national park, Namadgi, with its many and varied species of flora and fauna. I will not go through the attractions of Canberra; I am sure that all members here know and love them. I would like to say, though, that I do consider that ecotourism has enormous potential for the ACT, and I was very pleased to announce a process of drawing up an ecotourism strategy for the Territory. I hope that serious commentators, at least, will want to take part in drawing up a suitable strategy for the Territory - one which, whilst it makes the most of our natural features, at the same time protects those very features from exploitation and from degradation, because they are not just there for us; they are there for future generations, and they need that protection.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I think it is fair to say that Canberra's facilities for international visitors are of world-class standard. That includes the hotels, restaurants, sporting facilities and so on. The opportunities for the city to host major international sporting and other events leading up to, during and post the year 2000 Olympics are excellent. International sports like soccer, equestrian sports and handball are currently being considered for Canberra leading up to the Olympics. Identifying and maximising those opportunities is very important. The world cup showjumping event that was held recently in Canberra is one such example. Traditionally this event does not receive international media coverage. However, our Tourism Commission was able to arrange for one hour of highlights from this event to be replayed on Eurosport and Star Television to an estimated audience of 300 million viewers in Europe, North America and Asia. The centenary of Australian Federation in 2001 is also seen as a marketing plus for Canberra as an international destination. Many events and celebrations will be held in support of this important year, and it is my belief that Canberra should be the focus for those events.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the Tourism Commission's international marketing efforts are being concentrated in a few key market areas. They are Japan, Asia generally, and New Zealand. These markets are already providing some 45 per cent of the total international tourist visitors to Australia, and they are forecast to grow in importance. Japan and Asia alone are forecast to provide over 50 per cent of all international visitors to Australia in the year 2000. To further promote Canberra in the international marketplace, 10 publications which are produced by the Tourism Commission are distributed throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, America, New Zealand, Japan, Asia and, of course, Australia.
The Government's business delegation which I led to Japan in October/November last year was integral in forming important tourism links. Japan is the largest single country provider of visitors to Australia, and the Tourism Commission is continuing to build up and to strengthen the contacts that were made during that visit. As members will be aware, I have also been supportive of the possibility of upgrading Canberra Airport to international status. The Standing Committee on Tourism and ACT Promotion is
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