| The 44th edition of Tourism Australia’s largest annual trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2024 (ATE24), has officially opened in Melbourne with thousands of delegates taking part in the event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. ATE24 kicked off on Monday, 20 May 2024 and will run until Thursday,
23 May. During the event 1,500 members of the Australian tourism industry will meet 714 global tourism wholesalers and retailers across around 50,000 one-on-one business appointments. Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, said with the number of international travellers arriving on our shores edging closer to the levels experienced in 2019 the business created at ATE24 will be crucial to the future of the Australian tourism industry. “We are confident this is the year we will return to those 2019 levels so we can stop referring to that benchmark and once again focus on the sustainable growth of our industry which we experienced in the decade leading up to the pandemic,” Ms Harrison said. “Events like ATE are crucial to helping us achieve that as it brings global tourism wholesalers and retailers from around the world to Melbourne to hear from Australian tourism operators about the experiences they have to offer.” “We know it is also best to show not tell and that’s why the international buyers will also have the opportunity to experience Australia’s tourism offerings first-hand while they are here through pre and post event familiarisations.” Visit Victoria CEO, Brendan McClements, said hosting Australian Tourism Exchange will enable continued growth of Victoria's visitor economy through showcasing the State's distinctive tourism experiences to the world. “We're thrilled to be hosting ATE in Melbourne. The event provides a global platform for Visit Victoria's new tourism campaign, Every bit different, which highlights the inclusivity, diversity and creativity of our State’s experiences and regions.” “Victoria's visitor economy hit a new record high of $37.8 billion in December 2023, with Tourism Research Australia forecasting a further $16 billion in capacity for growth by 2028, so we're going all in at ATE to drive that growth in international markets. “ “The benefit for local tourism operators through ATE is immense - they're networking with global decision makers and media to foster long-term relationships and profile their business on the world stage.” ATE24 is delivered by Tourism Australia in partnership with Visit Victoria.
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