The land of plenty

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THE LAND OF PLENTY: Australia's vast landscape is diverse and in the 'Red Centre' is graced with the presence of the giant monolith Ayers Rock (Uluru).

Australia is a vast country offering something for everyone, from elegant shops, cafes and restaurants to rugged terrain, adventure and family fun. Chris Jackson outlines the main selling points of 'the land Down Under'.

When the cheesy 1980s band Men at Work was looking to describe Australia in its worldwide hit, Land Down Under, it used three words: land of plenty.

The description was spot on; Australia truly is a land of plenty; it is geographically enormous (the sixth largest country in the world); it has diverse nature and native animals; and it offers infinite opportunities for those planning a holiday, whether it be for adventure, relaxation, shopping, luxury, romance or just a chance to see the other side of the world.

Indeed, this diversity is both a blessing and a curse for travel agents, because despite the country being well served by airlines and accommodation options, clients will often need plenty of guidance to help them put together the most appropriate itinerary.

Alpha Tours product manager John Flower, an Aussie himself, says he commonly hears from clients that they don't know where to start.

"The key is not to try to do too much; if there are five things you want to do or see, pick the top two and concentrate on them," he suggests.

"It's a big mistake that people from all regions make when coming to Australia. I know of people who had two weeks vacation and were going to travel from Perth, driving to Alice Springs then onto Cairns, and try and take in the Gold Coast up on the way - it's crazy.

"People just have no concept of the size of the place, so the key is to sit down and make sure your clients can do what they want to do. Pick a couple of centres, such as a Melbourne and Sydney or the Gold Coast and Perth and just concentrate on those two to maximise these destinations."

Flower adds: "Tourism Australia is well represented in the Gulf and so are each of Australia's states, so there are people here that agents can talk to. Seek as much advice as you can, and there is no shortage of resources available here."

Tourism Australia distribution development manager Andrew Oldfield says Australia has so much to offer that he expects people going to the country for the first time to have researched what they were looking for.

At the same time, repeat visitors should be adventurous and look for new experiences.

"If they are heading back to Australia they should try and enter through a different gateway to experience other wonderful destinations, like Perth, or Adelaide," he suggests. "Maybe they could add a ski holiday for a couple of nights in Victoria, or try their luck at fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, wonder at some of our beautiful green rain forests, enjoy some nights of culture, theatre, dance and entertainment in Sydney or Melbourne.

"If they are keen on going back to the Gold Coast they should move out of Surfers Paradise area to visit the beautiful Hinterland or check out Broadbeach for something different."

The number of Middle East visitors travelling to Australia is steadily increasing with Tourism Australia figures revealing that more than 3,850 visitors from the Gulf region travelled to Australia in January this year, an increase of 21% on the same period last year.

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