Adventure in Australia

Tourism Australia's business tourism department held a five-day corporate familiarisation programme at the start of May for 23 corporate buyers from across Asia. The handpicked buyers represented eight countries —China, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan and South Korea — and were able to see what Australia had to offer their respective CEI groups. "The focus of this trip was to showcase aspects of Queensland, including the Whitsundays and Brisbane," says Johnny Nee, regional manager for North Asia and Business Tourism for Tourism Australia. "Providing buyers with a taste of an Australian incentive experience helps to paint a picture of how they can wow their clients and companies with Australian itineraries and incentive product offerings." The five-day trip began with international flights meeting in Brisbane, followed by transfers to Hayman Island via Hamilton Island. Hayman is a part of the Whitsunday Islands and is about halfway between Brisbane and Cairns. The highlight of Hayman Island is its tropical environment and its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world's largest living organism and replete with endless incentive options. Due its isolated location, incentive groups would need a three-night stay to maximise the benefits that the area has to offer. Island adventure At various stages of the two-day stay on Hayman the group was able to snorkel over live coral, handfeed giant fish from a boat platform, do a seawalk underwater thanks to an oxygen helmet (no swimming skills necessary) and take helicopter flights over the reef. Hayman Island is a five-star resort with 244 rooms and suites. Space, silence and wildlife the key themes of the lowrise property. While there, the group was also treated to an exclusive dinner of Australian produce in the chef's kitchen, with each course presented with a detailed explanation by the chef. Another highlight was a visit by Jan Jarratt, a member of the Queensland State Parliament, to address the group and thank them for their interest in bringing groups to the country. "As an Australian Government authority, Tourism Australia has strong connections and contacts with Australian politicians and leading business figures," says Nee. "With some prior notice, we are generally able to incorporate these figureheads into the program of visiting group." Day three saw the buyers return to Brisbane in time for lunch at Brett's Wharf Restaurant on the Brisbane River, which flows through the city and is a scenic highlight for incentive groups. This was followed by an evening cocktail cruise on the river aboard Sheer Delight, a luxury-spec 22.5m three-deck cruiser. The group then returned to the the 321- room Hilton Brisbane Hotel, where they were to stay for the next three nights. While the Hilton has just had a US7.6 million refurbishment, one of Brisbane's few shortcomings at present is its small number of five-star properties although this is set to change over the next 12 to 18 months. Market appeal Brisbane Marketing has made significant efforts to attract the regional CEI market to the city in recent years."Inbound business is currently booming with several assocation meetings booked in and US$25 million currently out for tender," says Paul Lewin, Brisbane Marketing Interim CEO. "Brisbane offers the Asian CEI market all the essential offerings of a young, modern city: world-class convention and event facilities, excellent air links, a clean and green public transport system, great restaurants, superb shopping and dynamic nightlife." Incentive ideas Several options were presented to the buyers as incentive ideas for groups visiting Brisbane. These included a lunchtime visit to the Sirromet Winery and a breakfast at Victoria Park Golf Course, which was followed by an hour on the driving range with lessons from the golf club's professional. One of the more impressive aspects for the buyers was the average weekend green fee for 18 holes — US$20. Australia's endless space makes it an ideal golf-incentive destination. The group also climbed the 80m high Story Bridge, a major thoroughfare across the Brisbane River. This was followed by lunch at the Story Bridge Hotel, which is built around one of the bridge's massive pylons. The pub has been owned by the same family for five generations and one of the family's senior members was on hand to explain the pub's role as a part of the Brisbane' living history. The final morning of the programme began with a visit to one of the premier attractions of the region, Dreamworld, where a private breakfast was hosted for the group in the native animal enclosure. Staff were on hand with wombats and reptiles to provide the group with a 'hands-on' experience with the animals as well as advice and information on their natural habitats. This was followed by a personalised visit to handfeed tame kangaroos and a one-on-one photo session for each of the group with some local koalas. Further into the park, Dreamworld's tiger enclosure was also a popular attraction with the group being able to get within 10m of the giant cats. Outside the animal enclosure, an even wilder side of Dreamworld was revealed with some of the fastest amusement rides in Australia on offer. Rides like the Claw, Giant Drop and Wipeout all lived up to their names as the group bounced, screamed and somersaulted their way through the morning thanks to priority queuing and a private guide to get them around the attractions. "Dreamworld is built over 30 hectares and can cater for groups of up to 5,000 at a time for massive street parties," says Dreamworld Special Events Manager Sue Gribble. "We can cater for up to 1,000 for a sitdown dinner." Dolphin experience The final afternoon saw the group take a onehour boat ride out to Tangalooma Island, a large national park with sheltered sandy beaches, a few resorts and barely any development. During the afternoon the group went quad-biking over the island, but the highlight came in the evening when a personalised session was arranged to handfeed a family of wild dolphins who had become friendly with the local residents over the years. "As a result of Australia's diversity, wideranging incentive product offerings and firstclass infrastructure, we are able to cater to all corporate meeting or incentive groups," says Nee. "Australia's experiences are available in a range of locations from cities, rainforests, reefs, mountains, beaches, theme parks, farms, deserts, snow and islands." VERDICT ASIAN CORPORATE BUYERS Eddie Huang, Manager — Distributor Service & Administration, Usana Health Sciences, Taiwan "I have been to Australia twice for business. First time was in 2001 to Gold Coast and in 2003 to Sydney. I found many activities in Brisbane that we can plan for our people so I will recommend it when I return. Hayman Island is a little too far from Taiwan, but Tangalooma Island would be a good option." Lee Sung-Hae, Team Leader/Sales Promotion Prudential Financial, South Korea "I inspect two or three cities a year for conferences of up to 3,000 people. I found Brisbane calm and peaceful. It would appeal to our group very much. One limitation is that we would need several hotels for a group of our size. Hayman Island was beautiful but we don't organise small incentives so that rules us out of visiting. We would also need to charter a flight to get here which is an expensive exercise." Benson Lim, Assistant Vice-President, ICAP AP, Singapore "Brisbane was a lot better than I expected. I came here two years ago and I can really see the difference. It also seems great for golf. I liked Hayman Island but you'd need three or four days to make it worthwhile. The trip was also very well organised and put together." Leslie Chng, Marketing Operations Manager, British American Tobacco, Malaysia We plan three trips a year for up to 250 people at a time. Our group hasn't been to Australia yet. We see Brisbane with a different side to Sydney or other Asian cities. I would recommend it as an incentive idea because it is good, beautiful and clean, although their brand awareness seems a bit weak. The whole trip was professionally handled. I was also very impressed with Hayman Island, it was a beautiful resort."