PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS Asialink Business is the National Centre for Asia Capability , and is at the forefront in supporting organisations to deepen their Asia capabilities - the skills , knowledge , insights , networks and connections needed to succeed when doing business with the Indo-Pacific region .
Asialink Business in partnership with Victoria ’ s Warrnambool City Council saw the opportunity to prepare local businesses for the return of international travel to Victoria ’ s world-famous tourism destinations , and with this the Connecting With Asia program was born .
The program was specifically designed to assist tourism operators in Victoria ’ s iconic Great Ocean Road Region , extending from Torquay on the Surf Coast to the South Australian border , recover from the impact of COVID-19 . It focussed on building the capability and skills to engage with the growing domestic Asian-Australian and Asian diaspora communities and to build an understanding of the needs of travellers from key markets , including the actions tourism operators could take to respond to these .
COLLABORATION ACROSS LOCAL GOVERNMENT Given the size and diversity of the Great Ocean Road region , the program was able to draw on a unique collaboration between the five local government areas ( LGAs ): Colac Otway , Corangamite , Moyne , the Surf Coast and Warrnambool , supported by Regional Development Victoria and Warrnambool ’ s Deakin University .
Economic Development professionals across these councils saw the program as an opportunity to support businesses to successfully pivot to the diverse domestic international market . They wanted to equip tourism operators in their LGA to adjust to the different types of travellers and visitors likely to be seen over the next few years while international borders were shut and also allow them the opportunity to prepare for the long term once international borders reopen . These councils understand that it is essential to ensure businesses along the Great Ocean Road are able to deliver exceptional standards of visitor servicing to the Asian market in order to gain and retain a share of this lucrative sector . Local council support was important to the program and assisting tourism operators to capitalise on the growth opportunities presented by Asia .
CLOSING THE GAPS Even without the challenges of a pandemic , regional tourism operators faced their own headwinds in attracting the Asian tourist market . Asian travellers have limited visibility of regional tourism destinations and additionally many regions were not ready to meet the demands of international Asian tourists .
Along the Great Ocean Road , tourism operators were underperforming in providing relevant and quality products , services and experiences for Asian travellers . The opportunity to shop , focus on health and wellbeing , experience both new but also familiar cuisine , and find value for money , are all core considerations for this market . There were gaps in marketing and the use of digital tools , and businesses were not yet ready to provide offerings or payment options suited to the needs of visitors from different Asian markets .
BUILDING THE CAPABILITY AND CONFIDENCE TO WORK WITH ASIAN TRAVELLERS The Connecting With Asia program was a five-month journey for selected businesses across the Great Ocean Road region and comprised of a series of digital and in person workshops . The program brought together expert speakers and mentors , and shared examples of businesses in the region and beyond who had successfully developed strategies to attract and serve Asian visitors . Although select businesses were chosen by their LGAs to be part of the Connecting With Asia program , there was an intention to build the knowledge and skills of the broader community .
Figure 1 . Connecting With Asia program journey
To do this , the program included a series of public events to build interest in the Asian market and to share key elements of the program . The Connecting With Asia program also encouraged networking , insight sharing and mentoring to build a community with a collective and ongoing interest in improving their capability and skills to engage with Asian travellers after the formal program was over .
WHAT BUSINESSES NEEDED At the start of the program , participating businesses shared that they hoped to better understand the Asian visitor segment and what was important to this market . They wanted to expand their offerings to suit this market and develop a visitor experience that would be meaningful to travellers from Asia . The businesses were also keen to know how they could improve their ability to communicate with visitors from different backgrounds and where they could adapt their current processes and business practices to be more responsive to expectations of Asian visitors . Over the course of five months the Connecting With Asia program , delivered by Asialink Business and a specialist team of cultural capability and tourism experts set out to help them do just that .
The program introduced the tourism potential of the Asian-Australian market as an important domestic audience and a bridge to the international Asian visitor market , and focussed on the key markets of China , India and Southeast Asia . In addition to workshop sessions which explored traveller profiles , preferences and
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