Hi
I haven't any employment news for the shortlisters out there, but I received the following news by email, which says that travel for 2004 is expected to be quite strong. Hopefully this will result in QF needing to use more shortlisters. Goodluck guys!
5m inbound arrivals forecast for next year
Australia is gearing up for a stronger inbound recovery than first predicted, with the latest figures from the Tourism Forecasting Council (TFC) indicating international visitor arrivals will exceed 5 million next year.
This would be the first time Australia had recorded positive growth in the past three years.
The council report said Australia's recovery efforts strengthened in the September 2003 quarter and the outlook for the December quarter indicated continued improvement as a result of the Rugby World Cup influx.
“Since the last forecasts in May 2003 the outlook for the global economy has improved noticeably,” the report said, “and this has impacted on predictions for tourism in 2004. All of Australia's top four markets (New Zealand, Japan, UK and US) are expected to show an increase in visitor numbers next year.”
The report showed New Zealand, Australia's largest tourist market, continued to be a strong performer with an increase in tourist arrivals this year and further growth expected in 2004.
The UK market had also been extremely resilient, recently boosted by the Rugby World Cup, the report said.
The TFC is predicting steady, continued growth from the UK and other markets in Europe through to 2012.
Within the Asian markets, the council has forecast growth of 10 per cent as a result of pent-up demand created by SARS.
“China in particular is expected to show explosive growth in the next 12 months, which will be fostered by the opening up of Australia to greater numbers of Chinese travellers and increased air services from this market,” the report said.