Obama on the Way to Australia

All travel eyes will be on Australia later this year as US President Barack Obama plans a visit down under.

Arriving on 16 November for a two day stay, the White House announced this week that the trip would be make to mark the 60 year anniversary of the Australian and US alliance, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

While details of the President’s itinerary will be revealed closer to his arrival, the visit could offer some much needed relief to Australian tourism operators as the strong Aussie dollar continues to play a hand at deterring tourism.

Australia saw a 0.5 percent drop in tourism from its strongest market New Zealand in July this year compared to the same month last year as well as a 7.2 percent fall from US holiday-makers, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

However, the power of the public figure on travel was made evident earlier this year after his visit to Ireland.

A short visit in May this year saw Ireland’s visitor arrivals increase by up to 15 percent between April and June compared to the corresponding period last year, Joe News reported.

Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said the rise was a result of recent visits from a number of big names.

“The month of May of this year was particularly positive for tourism, with the two historic visits of Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama and the Uefa Europa League final in Dublin,” Mr Gibbons said.

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)