Is Australia’s tourism industry up to scratch?

When did you last feel pampered on an Australian holiday? That is, regardless of price, you felt a tourism operator went out of their way to make your holiday feel special. It might have been friendly hotel staff, an excellent waiter, or a business owner who implied nothing was too much trouble.

I know such tourism enterprises exist. The trouble is, too many slack operators drag others down. They have little regard for repeat business. Get as much as they can from tourists on their first and last visit, seems to be the mantra.

They let Australia’s natural beauty do too much of the work for them and seem lazy compared to overseas tourism operators that are far more professional.

What’s your view?

Are standards in Australia’s tourism industry falling?

• How do our tourism standards compare to those overseas?
• Have you encountered slack, overpriced tourism joints?
• What are the real problems in Australia’s tourism industry?
• Have the federal and state governments done enough to help the industry?

I feel sorry for passionate tourism operators who lose repeat business because terrible operators in their tourism “ecosystem” turn a potentially great Australian holiday into a good or average one.

Consider my recent family holiday to the Whitsundays. The accommodation was excellent: attentive staff, great service and zero stress. But the restaurant in town took an hour to serve meals, they did not arrive at the same time, and the waiter could not remember the orders.

The ice-cream man in the main street snapped at a nice old Italian woman who did not realise a queue had formed, and an island resort forced patrons to line up for 30 minutes on a hot day for an awful lunch. Not once were we asked where we hailed from, how our holiday was going or had a tourism attraction recommended.

It’s hard to feel sorry for the tourism industry when standards are this poor.

Yes, I’m nit-picking, but it’s a similar story in far too many Australian tourist destinations, where good operators are let down by poor ones, and innovation is lacking.

What would an American tourist think of such patchy service? I still had a good holiday, but not so good that I would rush to return. I thought, “Next year, I’ll spend the same amount on an overseas holiday that feels like a real holiday, rather than just staying in another town.”

To be fair, Australia’s tourism industry is under intense pressure. The global financial crisis saw more international travellers stay home, and our high dollar and cheap airfare packages encourage record numbers of Australians to travel overseas. Heavy discounting has forced some tourism operators to cut costs to maintain profit margins. All too often, service is the first casualty.

The short-term outlook for tourism is poor. “Australia will continue to lose its share of the global international traveller market as many new destinations emerge,” says business forecaster IBISWorld in its latest tourism industry report. IBIS says an equivalent of 30.2 per cent of Australia’s population takes an overseas trip each year and forecasts this to rise to 50 per cent by 2016-17. That’s a great opportunity in itself for nimble entrepreneurs who can cash in on Australia’s overseas travel boom.

Thank goodness many more Chinese tourists this decade will help offset less domestic travel in Australia.

Even so, it will be a terrible shame if more tourist operators give up on the domestic market as they chase Asian tourists. Our tourism industry has too much of a natural competitive advantage – the country’s vast beauty – to lose share to other destinations.

I’m no tourism expert, but I’ve seen too many industries respond poorly to structural and cyclical threats (retail is an example). The main solution has been to cut costs, damage product quality and wreck brands. Company morale falls and staff only turn up for the pay cheque. Decades of hard work are lost in a few years as even loyal customers start to give up on the product. Innovation and great leadership are lacking.

I wondered why tourism operators in my holiday town did not work closer together and find a way to compete and collaborate at the same time by cross-promoting attractions. I wish more tourist towns adopted a service code of ethics for tourism operators and enforced it. Maybe more stringent accreditation for tourist operators is needed. And I wonder if the quality of customer experiences in Australian tourism are audited enough and benchmarked against other countries.

I wasn’t asked once about the quality of my holiday or any product or service bought.

As an observer outside the tourism industry, it seems so much money is spent (and often wasted) on attracting tourists to Australia, and not enough on improving their travel experience and encouraging repeat business. Do enough international travellers to Australia rave about their experience upon returning home? What about domestic travellers?

A relative who recently returned from Hawaii gushed about the experience and customer service (right or wrong, tipping makes a big difference.) I reckon Far North Queensland has Hawaii covered for natural beauty, but with too much patchy service and standards in Australian tourism, it’s getting harder to make the case to holiday locally – at least for big trips.

Is Australia’s tourism industry up to scratch?

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival

These summer holidays, Mickey Mouse and his band of friends, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, will perform in the musical extravaganza Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival. Joined by Disney favourites, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story, this fun-filled concert experience is sure to entertain the whole family!

Disney hits are remixed to the hottest sounds of today featuring hip hop, pop, swing, reggae, rock, country and much more! The irresistible lineup of performers including, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian and Ursula; Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie, Woody, Buzz and Jessie are among the more than 25 Disney stars featured in this jam session!

You can't resist dancing, singing, playing your air-guitar and laughing with this band of characters! Come join them at Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival for a lively concert experience guaranteed to deliver enough rockin' memories to last a lifetime.

For more information visit www.disneylive.com.au

TOUR DATES*:

Wed 28 - Fri 30 Dec - Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Fri 6 & Sat 7 Jan - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Mon 9 & Tue 10 Jan - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tue 17 & Wed 18 Jan - Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Sat 21 Jan - WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Mon 23 & Tue 24 Jan - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Book at Ticketek

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival

Breathing New Life into Brisbane

AS far as major Australian cities go, Brisbane has always had a tough time keeping up with its east coast counterparts.

While Sydney has unrivalled natural beauty and Melbourne has its cultural drawcards, cool laneway bars and restaurants, Brisbane has... well, skyscrapers.

This time last year the Queensland capital was also struck by devastating floods, which did nothing to enhance its appeal to tourists.

But over the past 12 months, the city has done an impressive job pulling together and cleaning up. There are few signs of the devastation which made front-page news around the country last January and there is a sense that the city is transforming.

There are some who say the floods have had a positive impact on tourism, spurring many businesses to take the opportunity to refresh their offerings.

Major city hotels, including the Novotel Brisbane, Hilton Brisbane and Marriott have had makeovers this year.In the last three months of 2011, the city welcomed 30 new bars, cafes and restaurants.

At riverfront South Bank, which was rebuilt after the floods, the new River Quay dining precinct previously known as River Bend will offer five swish new restaurants when it is complete.

Cove Bar + Dining and The Jetty South Bank opened in November, followed by Stokehouse, which became a place to be seen in the lead-up to Christmas.

The restaurant, which has a sister venue in Melbourne's St Kilda, has a light, open feel with glass bi-fold doors leading on to a narrow balcony, high ceilings and white tablecloths. It is a great place to while away an afternoon watching the paddlewheelers and CityCat ferries glide by.

Back in the CBD, the new "food emporium" Spring is also attracting attention. With well-known former restaurant critic and chef Lizzie Loel at the helm, Spring is a clever concept. In the finance district on the corner of Felix and Mary St, it is a kind of modern-day mixed business selling mostly local, organic produce.

It offers everything from marinated olives to macaroons, has a cooking school and will begin selling wine next month.

The emporium has an inviting feel. Sit on the corner outside on large wooden tables, sip coffee on tree-stump stools and watch staff at work in the open kitchen.

Loel, a passionate foodie, says Brisbane is not a city that follows trends like Sydney and Melbourne.

But there is some evidence it is increasingly embracing the laneway trend that has proven so successful in the southern capital. Burnett Lane, a little-used delivery route off the Queen Street Mall, is home to new cafe bar Brew.

Another venue, Super Whatnot, opened before Christmas and Survey Co is set to open soon.

The lane was the first to open in the CBD and has a cool graffiti tribute to its namesake, surveyor Charles Burnett, lining one of its walls.

In the inner-city nightclub hub Fortitude Valley, the lanes are also transforming. It began with Winn Lane, which has a few boutiques, live music every Saturday and monthly markets with about 10 stalls.

At the end of the lane is local favourite Flamingo Cafe. With a mural of a pink palm tree and a flamingo face outside, the eatery is decorated with retro furniture, astroturf and fruit. Its homemade sausage roll with pumpkin jam is a must.

There are also plans to develop nearby Bakery Lane and California Lane, with talk of shipping containers and artists' workshops.

The area is popular with Bodhi Hunter, principal "lifestyle curator" of the pocket book essential The Good Guide, which claims to reveal Brisbane's secrets.

"Brisbane is really spread out, it's not just all in the one space like Sydney or Melbourne," Hunter says. "There are so many cool hidden pockets in Brisbane."

New Japanese restaurant Harajuku Gyoza serves an array of delicious dumplings. It has proven so popular you will often see customers lined up to get in. We arrive before noon for lunch. Underbelly actor Gyton Grantley and a friend turn up a few minutes later and nab a spot at the bar.

The energetic staff shout welcome in Japanese every time someone enters and the waitresses wear Minnie Mouse-esque bows in their hair.

Around the corner in Ann St is Cloudland lounge bar. Opened two years ago, the large, eclectic bar spans four levels and has a retractable glass roof. It successfully mixes its garden theme with neon and has cosy booths, a Japanese corner, glass ball bar and China white marble bar.

Locals will tell you Brisbane is more relaxed than Sydney or Melbourne, it has less traffic and the weather is usually better. They make the most of it with the man-made beach at South Bank, which is great for families, and an outdoor cinema.

And there are plenty of activities on offer on and around the river.

Riverlife was one of the businesses damaged in the floods that has emerged reinvigorated. Housed in an old naval storage shed that doubles as a function centre at Kangaroo Point, Riverlife adventure centre offers kayaking, rollerblading, rock climbing and abseiling. I try out its newest experience, stand-up paddleboarding.

My guide, Blair, tells me the muddy Brisbane River used to be clear and green until it was dredged in the 1950s to allow bigger ships in. He has seen it become clearer and greener in recent years and believes the floods helped wash out a lot of sediment.

It's my first attempt at paddle boarding, and to be honest it isn't that hard until a CityCat ferry passes and you are left struggling to balance in the waves formed by its wake.

We spend a pleasant half an hour paddling to an inlet and a few minutes floating back with the strong current. Along the way Blair points out sculptured pelicans on top of a pylon made of motorboat parts, which were found and resurrected after being washed away in the floods.

Brisbane's biggest coup presently is the Matisse: Drawing Life exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). The exhibition, exclusive to Brisbane, combines more than 20 national and international collections and is the most comprehensive exhibition of Henri Matisse's prints ever mounted.

Matisse drew every day and the exhibition takes you through the stages of his life, from his days as a student in Paris when he learnt his craft copying the form of statues in museums.From black-and-white charcoal drawings and lino-cuts to pretty pastel watercolours and bold, colourful painted paper cut-outs, described as "drawing with scissors", the scale of the collection is extraordinary.

As portraits of family members and friends attest, Matisse had the remarkable skill to draw a recognisable face with just a few lines.

Best of all, at the end you can grab a piece of paper and a pencil and have a go at drawing. I attempt to draw a naked female statue on display. Her head ends up looking like a man's and her fingers look like paws, but it is a relaxing way to end the day.

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Murray wins Brisbane International title - Tennis Brisbane International

Andy Murray is one tournament into a partnership with new coach Ivan Lendl and already it has netted a title.

The No. 4-ranked Murray warmed up for the Australian Open with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 win over third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov in the Brisbane International final.

The victory provided the ideal start to Murray's partnership with Lendl, and the eight-time Grand Slam winner was courtside for only the second time when the 24-year-old Scot lifted the Roy Emerson Trophy.

"I'd like to thank my team ... Mr. Lendl, he's up there somewhere, hiding," Murray said of his new coach. "It's my first week with this new team and it was good. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully it'll bring more success in the future.

The 24-year-old Murray's next task is the Australian Open, where he has lost the past two finals, to be 0-3 in major finals overall - a statistic he's desperate to improve. That's on top of all the pressure from home to end a drought for British men at the Grand Slam tournaments dating back to 1936.

His confidence high after capturing his 22nd ATP title, Murray will spend the next week in Melbourne preparing for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16.

He raced through the first set against Doglopolov in 26 minutes - he didn't lose a point on his serve until the last game, when the Ukrainian twice had breakpoint chances but was unable to convert.

The No. 4-ranked Murray won nine straight games from 1-1 in the first to take the match away from Dolgopolov, who rallied briefly by winning three in a row - including his only service break to get the second set back to 4-3.

But Murray held to regain momentum and then broke Dolgopolov's serve for the fifth time in the match to finish it off in 65 minutes.

Murray started the week slowly, dropping the opening sets of his first two matches and complaining of aches and pains, but didn't lose a service game in the quarterfinal and semifinal as he gradually got his match fitness back up to speed. And he didn't show any sign of the groin strain which prematurely ended his 2011 season.

In recent season, Murray had played the Hopman Cup, the international mixed team competition in Perth, to start the Australian summer, but wanted to change into tournament mode immediately in 2012 and appeared in Brisbane for the first time.

A year on from losing the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic, Murray thinks he's a better contender for the title.

"I'd hope so, yeah. A year wiser. Had more experience. I've improved a few things in my game," Murray said. "I still played pretty good last year in Australia. I could play great tennis again and lose in the second or third round. Equally, could win the tournament if I play my best.

"If I play well, like I did this week, I give myself a good chance."

The 23-year-old Dolgopolov moved up to a year-end No. 15 ranking in 2011 and was aiming for his second ATP title, but was never in contention in the final.

He has now lost all three matches against Murray, including the Australian Open quarterfinals last year.

Dolgopolov strained his groin in his semifinal win over second-seeded Gilles Simon and wasn't at his peak against Murray.

"I'd like to say sorry for some boring tennis from me today," he told the crowd, "but that's the best I could do.

"I wasn't really fit and feeling good this week, but I made the final, so I'm really happy."

Poppins Gets a Flying Start in Brisbane

After nearly two years on the road perfecting their performance, the cast and crew of Mary Poppins will debut their Brisbane show to the largest ever advance booking in Queensland.

Director of Disney theatrical productions James Thane told AAP the production was thrilled to open on Thursday night in Brisbane, a few hundred kilometers south of Mary Poppins' author PL Travers' birthplace.

"It's a very special moment in the life of the show, internationally, to come back to where the creator of the character was born," he said.

Mr Thane said he had high hopes for the show's success in Brisbane.

"It will be similar to, I think, Melbourne and Sydney where we played to just about 100 per cent capacity."

Verity Hunt Ballard who plays Mary Poppins, told reporters Brisbane audiences can expect a first-rate performance as the cast and crew have perfected the show over the past 18 months.

When asked how she had managed the challenges of playing such an iconic character, she told reporters: "the corset helps".

Matt Lee, a former judge on TV's So You Think You Can Dance, plays Bert, and said it was "mind-blowing" to be involved with such a widely loved production.

"It's such a beautiful story, so wonderfully told by this amazing cast," he told reporters.

Lee said the show's worldwide success would be replicated in Brisbane and that he was eager to return to his performing roots.

"I'm in the biggest forum now for people to judge me," he said. "I love what I do."

The previous ticket sale record for Queensland was held by Wicked, but with nearly 80 per cent of the season's tickets sold before opening, Mary Poppins looks set to fly away with it.

Brisbane International: Andy Murray Books Quarter Final Place With Win Over Gilles Muller Brisbane Tennis International

ANDY MURRAY continued to do it the hard way as he reached the last eight of the Brisbane International with a three-set win over Gilles Muller today.

The British number one went a set down for the second day in succession after a woeful final service game, but levelled after a second-set tie-break.

And he rampaged through the final set without dropping a game to complete a 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-0 success and set up a quarter-final against Marcos Baghdatis.

Muller comfortably held his opening service game and Murray responded in kind, despite double-faulting on his first game point.

Murray forced the match's first break point in game three but his opponent produced a big serve and went on to hold.

The match remained on serve as far as 3-3 and, though Muller was taken to multiple deuces in his next service game, he prevailed to move 4-3 up.

Murray followed his fifth ace with his second double fault but comfortably pulled level again, but he was left serving to stay in the set after Muller held once more.

And he was broken to love as Muller made the most of his increasingly dominant groundstrokes to close out the set 6-4.

While Murray's 64% first-serve success rate was solid, he had won just two of nine points on his second, exacerbated by those two doubles.

But he responded well to going a set behind, breaking in the first game of the second set courtesy of a superb return on second serve.

He defended the break and then pegged Muller back from 40-15 to deuce, but this time the Luxembourg player held firm.

And he broke back in the fourth game, with the aid of a fortunate cross-court winner off his backhand, and then held for a 3-2 lead.

An ace settled his next service game in his favour as the set score reached 4-3 and Murray was forced to dig deep when trailing 15-40 in the next game, two big serves denying Muller the chance to serve for the match.

It meant the world number four would instead have to serve to stay in it, but he did so to make it 5-5. A love hold for Muller forced him to repeat the feat, but he duly set up a tie-break and claimed an early mini-break.

Muller twice netted before Murray moved 6-2 up with an outlandish backhand winner, and he took his third set point to take the match into a decider.

He raced to a love hold in the opening game and followed it with another early break en route to a 3-0 lead.

A second break and a hold from 0-30 down meant Muller was the one serving to stay in the match - and he was unable to do so, Murray completing a final-set whitewash to seal a quarter-final spot.

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No longer a work in progress, Stosur returns as a star - Brisbane International Tennis

Last year, when Sam Stosur began her campaign at the Brisbane International, her second round departure would be a harbinger for a meagre showing over coming weeks. At least she escaped before the rain engulfed centre court.

Defeat in her home town was followed by a third-round exit at the Australian Open in Melbourne. It was a disappointing return following an undisputed breakout season, where she made the final of the French Open and raised the expectations of Australian fans who hadn't hailed a female Grand Slam champion since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.

Even so, her near thing at Roland Garros didn't mean she was the star attraction in her home city's event. Her doubters remained to be convinced and with players of the quality of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin in the draw, Stosur wasn't to enjoy top billing.

Last night, the reigning US Open champion star strode out onto Pat Rafter Arena like she owned the place, confidently surging past Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round in Brisbane.

She floated on a surge of emotion from a sold-out crowd that gave the top seed and world number six the most rousing of receptions. Stosur dismantled Yakimova with power and precision in the first set, before overcoming some rust and resistance in the second to advance to the next round, where she will face Czech Iveta Benesova.

If Stosur was nervous – and she said she was – she's one hell of a poker player. In the opening games, she peeled off winner after winner. From that point, with Yakimova clearly outgunned, it was always just a matter of time.

Stosur looked assured, focused and in total control of her game. She played like a woman who has finally found the missing piece to a puzzle she has been trying to complete since she was a teenager.

Brisbane's event has been elevated up the WTA food chain and the women's draw is stronger than ever. The presence of Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Clijsters and Andrea Petkovic has given organisers more than enough marketing ammunition.

Fans crowded into Pat Rafter Arena to see Samantha Stosur play last night. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

But it is Stosur they came to see. The same tennis fans who were glued to their screens as Stosur soared – and Williams exploded – in New York last year paid up to get their seats to watch the show in the flesh.

“It's always nice to come home, play in front of a home crowd; where I'm from in Brisbane, a full house. If you're going to come out and play another match, why not start it like that?” Stosur said.

I've been looking forward to coming out and getting the year started so I'm happy with the way the first one went.”

Things have changed since Stosur upset Williams to win the US Open and the result has been a huge boost for tournament organisers. A crowd of 12,595, which was a record for any day of any year of the event, was testament to how much Stosur's dramatic victory has rekindled the interest of Australian tennis fans.

“Always when I come home, I get a great reception. Whether I'm in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, it's always a nice experience. Now I get recognised a lot more and more people know who I am and want to come out and watch. It probably shows – a first round, night session, it's pretty much sold out. The atmosphere was great,” Stosur said.

“If that's the impact that a player can have on a home tournament, then that's fantastic. I think, when you've got a player that's doing well, it feeds down.

“There are not many tournaments in the world that you can go to and you have a sold-out first couple of days. It shows how popular tennis is becoming again in Australia. To have a crowd like that first day, it can't get any better.”

Stosur has had little choice to embrace the big picture and her growing celebrity but she remains focused on improving her record in Australia, starting in Brisbane. She has never been past the second round but beat Benesova twice last year, in Rome and Paris.

She looks in immaculate physical shape and has clearly put in a rigorous pre-season to give herself every opportunity to fire. She did that last night, being aggressive from the first ball and continuing her attack even as she fended off five break points in the seventh game of the second set.

“I've done everything I possibly could to get in the best shape I can be. My pre-season went very well. I really felt like I was ready to start. What I learned over the past few years has really made me aware of what I need to get done,” Stosur said.

“Hopefully this will mean I'll stay fitter and stronger and healthier for the whole year.”

Shoulders loosened and homecoming match complete, Stosur is on her way to what she hopes are big things on friendly courts. That could include a semi-final against Williams at this event if the pair keeps winning.

For that rematch, they might have to build an extra stadium.

Quality Brisbane Accommodation available at Metro Hotel Tower Mill