The Federal Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson has congratulated tourism businesses in Armidale, New South Wales, for achieving one of the highest satisfaction ratings from visitors, compared with other selected destinations across Australia.
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report from Tourism Research Australia put Armidale in the top 10 (ninth) out of
62 destinations across Australia for visitor satisfaction.
In a survey conducted in July and August 2009, 57 per cent of visitors to Armidale said they were very satisfied with their visit. In March, Tourism Research Australia presented the survey results to the Armidale Dumaresq Council on behalf of Minister Ferguson.
The research stated that visitors were particularly impressed by the friendly, helpful and hospitable staff and friendly locals. They were happy with Armidale’s tourism information services, shopping, food and wine, hotels and motels, roads and tours.
“For many regional communities, such as Armidale, tourism is vital to the local economy,” Minister Ferguson said. “For tourism to succeed, it needs not only good products and customer service, but good local facilities. Last year the Australian Government provided almost $500,000 directly to Armidale Dumaresq Council for local community infrastructure, including public facilities for tourists.”
The Minister said that Australians need to be reminded of the beauty of an Australian holiday.
“Tourism Australia and the Australian Government’s domestic marketing ‘No Leave No Life’ campaign encourages Australians to use their 123 million days of accumulated annual leave to take a short break,” he said. “For Armidale, that could mean a walk in the nearby Oxley Wild Rivers or Cathedral Rocks National Park, visiting a café or winery, perusing the local shops and spending some time with family and friends.
“Tourism is dominated by small businesses; that is why as part of the economic stimulus the Australian Government invested more than $500 million in small business incentives and support to help the 93 per cent of tourism businesses in this category.”
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction (VPS) Program was completed as part of the Destination Visitor Survey Program (DVS) run by the Federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report can be obtained at
www.ret.gov.au/tourism/tra/regional/destinations/Pages/default.aspx
