Back in December 2021, Australian Regional Tourism were given the opportunity to offer a submission to Australia’s next National long-term tourism strategy, THRIVE 2030. In March 2022, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment has launched THRIVE 2030, the long-term national strategy for the visitor economy. THRIVE 2030 is expected to grow the value of the visitor economy to $230 billion by 2030. Below is an overview of the strategy along with links to download the full strategy and action plan.
Strategy overview
THRIVE 2030 is industry-led and government-enabled. To drive success, the strategy:
- provides a vision
- sets targets
- outlines policy priorities.
THRIVE 2030 vision
THRIVE 2030 envisions a visitor economy that:
- delivers quality experiences for visitors
- includes businesses that:
- are globally competitive
- are profitable
- grow sustainably
- provides jobs, growth and infrastructure that benefit Australian communities.
The strategy outlines priorities to address:
- the challenges created by COVID-19
- pre-existing structural trends and issues.
Three themes guide these priorities:
- diversifying markets, experiences and destinations. For example, respectful inclusion of First Nations peoples and cultures
- modernising the visitor economy workforce, infrastructure and business practices
- collaborating between industry and government at every level, including by using high quality data and insights.
THRIVE 2030 targets
THRIVE 2030 aims to return the sector to pre-pandemic visitor spend and sustainable growth:
- returning it to $166 billion by 2024
- growing it to $230 billion by 2030.
The strategy aims for regional Australia to capture about 40% of this spend.
Strategy phases
There are 3 phases of the strategy’s implementation:
- Recovery Phase 2022–2024. This will focus on rebuilding the visitor economy. It will do this by:
- driving domestic visitation
- driving targeted international visitation
- addressing priority supply-side issues, such as workforce shortages.
- Consolidation Phase 2025–2027. This aims to achieve a consistent growth to meet targets. It will do this by:
- pursuing a targeted, diverse portfolio of markets
- investing in new products and destinations
- improving business practices
- continuing to build workforce capability.
- Acceleration Phase 2028–2030. This aims to speed up growth, increase service quality and grow visitation. It will do this by building on the investment in earlier phases. This includes through improvements in business processes and technology.
Further information
The THRIVE 2030 Implementation Advisory Group (TIAG) will monitor and oversee strategy implementation. The group includes industry leaders and senior government officials. Find out about the TIAG
Visit Tourism Research Australia
Austrade thanks everyone who has provided input into the consultation process, and looks forward to working closely with industry and governments to implement THRIVE 2030.