MELBOURNE stands head and shoulders above all other Australian cities when it comes to being tuned in to the future needs of tourists, an industry survey has found. Of the 350 tourism industry people surveyed, 45 per cent nominated Melbourne as the city with the best strategies to meet the future needs of the industry, while Sydney and Brisbane trailed far behind.
Tony Charters, the convenor of next month's Tourism and Events Excellence conference at the MCG, says the Roy Morgan research should be a huge wake-up call.
"Melbourne was seen as the powerhouse of the future with Sydney way back on 13 per cent and Brisbane a pathetic 4 per cent, Adelaide one step away on 3 per cent, and Darwin and Perth on 2 per cent," Mr Charters said.
"The results don't say a lot for how the industry itself perceives Brisbane, and also Sydney for that matter.
"We thought the result might have been biased by the sample being taken in Victoria, but we checked back with Roy Morgan and there is not a discernible issue there - the figures are statistically valid."
Mr Charters said Brisbane had lost its way, living off the coat tails of destinations such as the Gold and Sunshine coasts far too long and needed to stand on its own two feet.
He believed Melbourne needed to develop more attractions like Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art, which has been effective in attracting big numbers of tourists and interstate visitors through its major exhibitions.
Mr Charters said it was important to remember the survey asked which city was best attuned to the future needs of the tourism industry.
"If the question was who has got the greatest attractions or who has the most appeal, you might get a slightly different answer.
"But the feeling is that Melbourne has worked out what tourism needs and is responding to the needs
of the tourism industry, and that's the critical difference."
The Tourism and Events Excellence conference will be held from September 5.
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