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The venue for next year’s ATEC Symposium in May 2011 is strongly tipped to be Hamilton Island.  

An ATEC spokesman was unable to confirm date or venue, though it will be May rather than April due to ATE taking place later than usual next year.

The venue for Symposium 2011 will be officially announced on Thursday.

It’s not easy presenting to an audience of your peers, so Oz Experience general manager and regular Thumbrella contributor Greg Cole should be congratulated on the excellent job he did at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart today.  

Summarising the discussions of the tour and transport breakout session, Cole was well into his stride when he seemed to stumble over his last slide, unable to recall the point it was intended to make.

It was only when someone pointed out he had inadvertently clicked over to the next presentation that he realised why he was struggling.

“No wonder I don’t know what I’m talking about,” said Cole, to the general merriment of the audience.

Sharing industry best practice is key to the tourism and education sectors collaborating effectively, a conference has heard.  

During breakout sessions at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference today delegates discussed ways the two sectors could work together to bring more travellers and students to Australia.

One of which was to share best practice in circumstances where tourism operators have successfully integrated student travel products into their business.

Gold Coast hostel Aquarius Backpackers operator Jo-Anne Wilkie said the hostel housed stricken students affected by the closure of English language school GEOS earlier this year by offering beds free of charge for three days to allow them to find alternative accommodation. The hostel also runs Gold Coast weekends for students from a Queensland education centre involving hostel entertainment, wildlife tours and amusement park visits.

Adventure Tours Australia Group marketing director Greg Zammit told the group he had signed a deal earlier in the day to provide discounted Oz Experience travel vouchers to a national education school to be incorporated as part of its student’s packages.

Delegates agreed that a lack of communication between the sectors was also an issue that needs to be resolved before the two can effectively work together.

Travel agents in the backpacking sector are risking Australia’s reputation for quality by setting high expectations but selling low-cost, high-commission options, delegates at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference have agreed.  

Participants in a breakout session on tours and transport cited examples of travellers being told they can do the east coast in seven days or being sold packages then having to buy add-ons along the way to enhance the experience and complaining afterwards that they had a bad time.

Summarising the discussion for all delegates, Oz Experience general manager Greg Cole said this was exacerbated by the lack of recourse for disatisfied customers and a forum for them to make complaints.

Participants agreed industry famils were an important way to educate agents about their product but there was a tendency for the same operators to be asked to host agents over and over again. On a positive note, backpacker travel agents were praised for increasing retention rates among staff, making it more worthwhile training them on product as they are sticking around long enough to sell it.

Discounting in the backpacker accommodation sector is hampering product development and inward investment, delegates at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference have agreed.  

Participants in a breakout session focussing on accommodation cited unsustainable discounting as a major challenge for the industry, with guilty parties unable to reinvest in their businesses and having to cut corners to make the economics work.

Cairns was cited as a frequent offender, with allegations some hostel/bars are giving away the accommodation component in order to fill their bar. One participant said the practice was damaging inward investment into Cairns with large companies shying away from setting up operations there because it is too hard to make money. Another commented the practice would damage Cairns’ reputation in the long term if word of falling standards spreads among travellers.

Session leader and YHA Ltd CEO Julian Ledger said discounting didn’t necessarily equate to value for money, with visitors to the YHA website ranking some of its most expensive properties as offering the best value.

Meanwhile Wake Up!, one of the most expensive hostels in Oceania, boasts 93 per cent occupancy.

There was an embarrassing moment for Thumbrella publishing director Martin Lane at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Tasmania this morning.  

While introducing the Backpackers Uncovered Survey 2010, Lane proudly unveiled a slide revealing how many of the travellers questioned intended to visit “every state and territory in the country”.

Delegates quickly pointed out that two states were, in fact, missing from the slide – Victoria and host state Tasmania.

Cue lots of awkward pointing and shifting the blame to third parties. There’s nothing like taking responsibility for your own mistakes.

Lane, whose catchphrase ‘who’s the fuckwit?’ often echoes around Thumbrella Towers, was unavailable for comment.

To view the survey results in full, click here.

Travel companies must forget about return on investment from social media and treat it as their customer service department according to Global Gossip online director Jesse Desjardins.  

Desjardins told delegates at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart: “It’s not about saying ’show me the money’ or asking ‘can I get direct bookings from social media?’. Don’t be too quick to say ‘what’s the ROI on this stuff?’ In fact, social media is the wrong word, it’s more of an attitude, it’s what your organisation does.”

Desjardins warned ignoring social media is “like ignoring Google back in ‘99″. He said  the widespread use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and the increasing difficulty in getting ranked by Google made engaging in social media business critical. He said: “YouTube is now the second biggest search engine (after Google), it’s a great opportunity to tell your story.” He added up to half of people in Global Gossip stores are on Facebook at any one time “because that’s how they communicate”.

However, he warned it was vital to concentrate on quality over quantity when it comes to followers, ensuring your brand is perceived as being ‘cool’ by your fans, or having the ability to make them look cool, rather than simply generating a large following. He added: ”Social media is not a one-night stand, it’s a relationship. Don’t sell to your followers, create useful content and thank them for positive comments and on their blogs. Cool products are easier to talk about. Real fans help spread your story.”

Desjardins told delegates to use Google alerts to flag up when their product is being talked about online and take their brand security seriously.

He warned: “An angry customer can lose you many more customers than a happy one can win you. Go to Facebook and register your business name or category, because there’s nothing stopping your competitors from doing so.”

The 2010 Backpackers Uncovered survey has been released with results presented at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference this morning.    

The survey of 532 independent travellers was conducted in Global Gossip locations nationwide between April 4 and 9 by the communications company and TNT Magazine on behalf of the Backpacker Tourism Advisory Panel (BTAP).

To view the survey in full, click here.

Evolving, elusive backpackers are becoming the experts of travel, using technology to bypass businesses according to GapYear.com founder Tom Griffiths.  

Speaking at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart this morning, Griffiths said compared to 10 years ago, today’s backpackers have evolved through technology and are becoming travel experts, telling each other how to bypass conventional travel booking processes.

“The future spend of travellers is really influenced by other travellers, not brochures and guidebooks. Things have changed. In 2010, they don’t need us. It’s no longer about coming on to our websites,” he said.

Griffiths said the youth market requires engagement in order to capture their attention and backpackers hold the power when it comes to listening to a business message. He said: ”If we’re going to sell to them we need to engage them.”

As frequent users of social media, Griffiths added the backpacker mentality is”I can switch you on and I can switch you off and if you don’t engage with me, you’ll lose me”.

Despite the considerable changes in backpacker interactivity compared to 2000, Griffiths said their hunger to explore, their passion and their ability to drive the industry forward hasn’t changed.

The ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference takes place in Hobart as part of the 2010 ATEC Symposium.

Most backpackers who visit Australia consider it to be a safe, tolerant destination with high quality service but those with negative opinions hold those views strongly according to an independent poll of 532 backpackers.  

The survey was conducted by TNT Magazine and Global Gossip on behalf of the Backpacker Tourism Advisory Panel (BTAP) and presented at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart today.

Some 82 per cent of those questioned said Australia had an excellent or very good reputation for safety while only two per cent rated it as poor and none answered very poor.

Meanwhile, 71 per cent rated the quality of service excellent or very good and 65 per cent said Australians were tolerant of other cultures.

Fifty eight per cent said their hostel accommodation was excellent or very good, 66 per cent said the same of tours while 52 per cent rated backpacker travel agents the same. However a significant number (17 per cent) rated tours poorly.

While 80 per cent would consider another trip to Australia (50 per cent to live and work on a long term basis) and 90 per cent would recommend the destination to other travellers, a significant number described it as expensive and work hard to come by when given the opportunity to offer their thoughts on travelling in Australia.

Negative comments included:

“Has a lot going for it but the further into the suburbs you go the more retarded, backward and racist people get.”

“Some of the people I met while living in rural Australia (Queensland outback), while very friendly and kind, were seriously racist and homophobic and generally ignorant. There are ignorant people everywhere in the world but I met a few here that took my breath away.”

“I have been threatened by many young Australian men who seem to think starting on backpackers is a good idea…pretty pathetic.”

“Friendly people even though you meet wankers every now and then. Been bashed once and so has my friend, for no reason that is.”

“Expensive and should be free internet like in other Asian countries because it costs a lot of money.”

“Next time I’ll just go travelling, instead of work and travel. It’s just annoying to fight for jobs and lose them because people don’t need or want you anymore. There are too many backpackers around so there is hard competition for jobs. I did fruit picking and it was quite good but the other jobs were more like slavery. Really bad pay for hard work.”

“Very awesome place to travel but because there’s a lot of backpackers, it can be very hard to find work.”

The poll was conducted in Global Gossip locations nationwide between April 4 and 9.

To view the survey in full, click here.

More than half of backpackers who undertake fruit picking work are not given sufficient information about their health and safety or made aware of their work rights according to new research.  

The survey was conducted by TNT Magazine and Global Gossip on behalf of the Backpacker Tourism Advisory Panel (BTAP) and presented at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart today.

It found 57 per cent of those who had been fruit picking were not told to wear sunscreen or drink plenty of water while 45 per cent were unaware of their rights before starting work. A further 30 per cent were undecided.

The findings follow recent accusations of ill-treatment of backpackers in the picking fields.

Meanwhile, 34 per cent said they were not well looked after by their employer although the majority (61 per cent) said they would recommend fruit picking as a job for other travellers.

The survey found no consistency in rates or means of pay with 61 per cent paid hourly and 39 per cent paid per piece. Rates varied from $1.20 a bin to $17 per hour.

Of those who went fruit picking 41 per cent did so in order to secure a second working holiday visa.

The poll of 532 independent travellers was conducted in Global Gossip locations nationwide between April 4 and 9.

To view the survey in full, click here.

Brainstorming sessions in most businesses are hindering the development of fresh thinking and stifling creativity, according to Ideas Culture founder Yvonne Adele.  

Speaking to delegates at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart this morning, Adele said classic brainstorming sessions involve identifying a problem, getting everyone in a room and asking for ideas. However, she said these sessions tend to generate forced ideas and become dominated by the ‘usual suspects’ and those who think they are being helpful by challenging ideas but are, in reality, shooting down fresh thinking.

Instead, Adele demonstrated her ‘think, pair, share’ technique in which delegates were encouraged to think of a list of random words, then use them to solve the problem ‘In what ways can we demonstrate the fact to the world that good, safe and fairly paid work exists in Australia for all travellers?’

After working on possible solutions individually (‘think’), delegates paired up to share their ideas to solve the problem. Among the most creative was Gold Coast Tourism Corporation Manager David Cox, who started with the word ‘jam’ and came up with the idea of a jam made from the fruit picked by backpackers which would be distributed worldwide with label information promoting Australia to independent travellers.

Adele uses the technique with her Twitter followers to generate fresh thinking for businesses through a brainstorming, crowdsourcing service.

Working holiday and short term visas must not be included in the debate about Australia’s growing population, Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) managing director Matt Hingerty has said.  

Addressing delegates at the ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference in Hobart this morning, Hingerty said he would not tolerate reductions in short-term visas for backpackers being used as a way to cap international arrivals to Australia.

“I’m very concerned about this debate about Australia’s population,” he said.

He added that while he acknowledged the importance of Australia’s immigration and border security policies, the country still needs to attract young, vibrant people.

“Backpackers are individual pieces of golden currency and so are students,” he said.

Hingerty added, “There is a temptation to throw up the national borders and say ‘we’ve had enough’, but we must never, ever allow working holiday maker and short term visas to enter into that debate.”

The ATEC Backpacker and Youth Industry Conference takes place in Hobart as part of the 2010 ATEC Symposium.

Backpackers are making false and exaggerated insurance claims to replenish depleted funds at the end of their trip according to online provider InsureandGo.  

The UK’s Guardian newspaper reports 20 per cent of claims made on InsureandGo backpacker policies are submitted shortly before expiry, suggesting returning travellers are trying to recoup cash by submitting bogus claims.

The company said despite the fact its average backpacking policy lasts for 29 weeks, one in five claims are made during the last 21 days before expiry, accounting for 24 per cent of settlements.

InsureandGo founder Perry Wilson said: “The submission of fraudulent backpacking insurance claims is rife. The case last year of the two British law graduates in Brazil highlights the existence of this problem and the fact overseas police forces are cracking down on it. We are concerned that as more gap year trips are being taken because of the current economic climate, more claims will be made and some of them will be fraudulent.”

In July 2009, British backpackers Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner were arrested after claiming they had been robbed. They pleaded guilty to attempted insurance fraud and were sentenced to 16 months in prison but were later acquitted on appeal.

Anyone making a fraudulent claim could face a custodial sentence.

Saturday saw the industry compete in the inaugural Footy Fans Downunder Soccer Tournament.  

The soccer elite was made up of teams from J&J O’Brien, Scruffy Murphy’s, City Resort, Scary Canary, Glebe/YHA, World Nomads/Sydney Travel Tribe and Meso Creative.

The stage was set at the impressive facilities at Wentworth Park Stadium and with the temperature hitting 28 degrees, they couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

The group stages proved to be highly entertaining with some very close games but the main highlight was when J&J O’Brien scored their first goal and a female team player decided to celebrate by doing a number of cartwheels in the centre of the pitch which had the masses from Scruffy’s screaming in delight. Such delight was only matched when they realised the bar opened at 11:30.

The group stages also saw the goal of the tournament from TNT Magazine’s Michael Ball who curled a perfect 20 yard shot into the top corner.

The tale gained great legs in the after drinks at Scary Canary when Michael was re-living the moment with three Norwegian backpackers when suddenly he goal had turned into him running the whole length of the pitch Messi style to thunder a strike from 35 yards. All three girls had triple zero on standby on their mobiles.

All of the group games were played in great spirit but only two teams from each group could progress to the semi finals. The first was an all Irish affair with the two Scruffy Murphy’s teams going head to head  followed by semi final number two which saw World Nomads/Sydney Travel Tribe (plus some other industry ring-ins) pit their wits against a strong Glebe/YHA side.

Needless to say a Scruffy Murphy’s side progressed to the final and in the other contest we saw Nomads progress with a remarkable 2-0 win.

So to the final, which on paper the Irish were clear favourites but the boys and the girls were having none of it. With the scores locked at 1-1 going into the final two minutes it looked like we were heading for penalties until a late winner from Scruffy’s had the Irish eyes smiling and the World Nomads team on their knees, though not for long as a bar tab needed drinking.

Michael never did get the mobile number of the Norwegians.

Lee Sutherland
Footy Fans Downunder

Greyhound Adventures will double it’s amount of partnerships in the next two years according to Greyhound Australia CEO Robert Thomas.  

The program, which promotes and sells travel experiences around Australia as a part of its coach network has doubled in its first 12 months with 250 operators signing on with the company. Thomas said he anticipates this figure to at least double in the next two years.

He added the partnership focus would be on small to medium sized tourism businesses around the country. “That’s a major shot in the arm for small to medium sized tourism operators who have done it tough during the global financial crisis. With these partnerships we also lend our established marketing expertise by attending the overseas industry expos and adding them to promotional material,” he said.

Lonely Planet has announced the launch of a new application for Apple’s latest handheld device the iPad.  

Currently only available in the US, the application 1,000 Ultimate Experiences showcases the top 1,000 recommended experiences by the travel publisher, incorporating images and videos into its guide.

Apple anticipate the iPad to be available in Australia by late April.

Tourism Victoria and the Backpacker Operators Alliance of Victoria (BOAV) will be hosting a tourism workshop in Halls Gap later this month.   

The event, held on Wednesday April 28, will see presentations from special guest speakers Joel Thorsen from Bliss Media, Dr Jeff Jarvis from Monash University and Kylie Schurmann from Grampians Tourism.

The tourism workshop runs from 1pm to 5pm, costs $22 for BOAV members ($32 for non-members) and includes a BBQ lunch and refreshments.

For further information email info@boav.com.au or phone (03) 8662 5425

I love this line from a story in British newspaper The Guardian about YHA trialling mixed dorms in some of its UK properties for the first time.  

“…amid increasing competition from antipodean-style backpackers’ hostels that cram anyone and everyone into gargantuan dormitories where anything goes, the YHA has had to think about the hitherto unimaginable in order to stay in the game.”

Finally Australia manages to import something good into the UK. It almost makes me want to forgive the nation that gave us Rolf Harris and that rubbish bloke who played James Bond.

Organisers of the Adventure Travel and Backpackers Expo series have cancelled the Brisbane event planned for November.  

In a letter to exhibitors, managing director Andrew Paltridge said: “Due to the number of bookings being below what is required to run a successful expo for everyone involved, we have reluctantly decided to cancel. It was unfortunate for us all that the expo sales process was up against the global financial crisis at its peak, when many budgets were slashed.”

However, Paltridge stressed he hasn’t given up on Brisbane as a potential expo host city. He added: “We see this situation as short term only and will look at industry interest and support in 6-12 months and possibly reschedule the event – perhaps in a different format.”

The Brisbane Expo was originally scheduled to run on February 27 -28, 2010 before being postponed until November.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Expo on November 6 and 7 – back at Town Hall for the first time since 2006 – is selling well with bookings ahead of last year.