ATE is the largest tourism trade show in the Southern Hemisphere and this year’s event has around 300 more participants than last year. The show is also larger than the last pre-pandemic iteration in 2019.
“This is the 44th edition and it continues to go from strength to strength – a testament to the continued global demand for Australian tourism,” said Tourism Australia’s managing director, Phillipa Harrison, in a video shared via Tourism Australia’s social channels yesterday.
“We have record numbers this year, with 714 buyers from 37 countries, meeting with 621 seller organisations,” she said.
“They’re doing 50,000 appointments that are officially taking place and there’s many more on the fringes and in the breaks and of course all of the networking events across the week.
“We kick off this event with renewed energy as inbound tourism numbers return and we turn our minds to the sustainable growth of our industry which we experienced in the decade leading up to the pandemic,” she said.
“Events like ATE are crucial to helping us achieve that as we bring wholesalers and retailers from around the world to Melbourne to hear from our Australian tour operators of all of the incredible experiences that they have on offer.”
The latest international visitation statistics from Tourism Research Australia (TRA) put trips by inbound visitors to Australia at 76 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as at the end of 2023. According to TRA’s most recent forecast, international travel to Australia will exceed pre-pandemic levels next year.
“The long-term benefits from events like this are substantial – the relationships and future business it establishes can grow Australia’s tourism industry by billions,” said Australia’s tourism minister, Don Farrell of ATE 2024.
This is Melbourne’s first time hosting the event since 2015, after the 2020 event, which was supposed to take place in Melbourne, was cancelled less than two months out from the event due to the onset of the pandemic.
ATE 2024 is being held at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
