A surge in funding requests from South-east Asian events keen on Australian destinations has led to an extra A$4 million (US$3.6 million) injection into the Business Events Australia Bid Fund Program.
Phillipa Harrison, managing director, Tourism Australia, told TTGmice on the sidelines of the Australia Marketplace South East Asia 2023 in Singapore that she is “seeing a lot of pent-up demand from organisations in South-east Asia wanting to hold their incentive events in Australia”.
“Just the other morning, I had 10 bid fund requests to sign off, six of which were from South-east Asia. These requests are short-term, for later on in 2023 and early into 2024,” Harrison shared.
Several South-east Asian incentive events have already taken place in Australia. They include groups from Herbalife, Public Mutual, Nuskin, AIA, and Prudential.
The boosted bid fund programme will support other events into the future up until 2029, and will cover the entire business events spectrum.
Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of eastern markets and aviation, Andrew Hogg, said incentive trips to Australia were often strong motivators and would result in people exceeding their sales targets.
“Companies end up having to take more qualifiers along. One company told us that their qualifiers normally would (number) around 1,000 for other destinations, but once (the reward is) Australia, qualifying numbers (would spike to) 1,500. This is very positive for us to hear,” he said.
Business events currently account for 15 per cent of arrivals to Australia.
