Hotels up as Asians head Down Under

Business Asia, Sept 13, 1999

Asian visitors are flocking to Australian shores again as economic conditions improve in the region, a leading property consultant has found.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (JLL) has forecast a promising future for the Australian hotel industry following the latest figures in international visitor arrivals released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

JLL's vice-president of marketing and research, Melinda McKay, said the hotel market would reap enormous benefits from the increase.

"The figures are more than encouraging since the overall growth in international arrivals to date is 6.5 per cent, well above the forecast of 3.8 per cent previously predicted by the Tourism Forecasting Council," she said.

The latest figures show a remarkable recovery in South East Asian markets, with visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore making up the majority of the increase from last year.

But by far the most impressive of the Asian markets has been Korea, with a 90.1 per cent increase in visitors.

The resurgence of regional business is a boon for Australian hotel operators, several of which are vying for places in the Best Business Hotel in Asia Awards.

The awards, first held last year, were introduced by Business Asia to recognise the importance of hotels to the business sector.

Business Asia and Bloomberg Television have joined forces to present this year's awards.