The attributes and potential of secondary Australian destinations through the eyes of Korean travel industry executives

This paper examines the attitudes of key travel industry executives in South Korea to secondary destinations in Australia with particular reference to the prospects for special interest travel. It was found that according to most key criteria, executives regard Australia as a desirable tourist destination for Koreans and as being well matched with their expectations. Cleanliness and safety are regarded as key strengths by industry executives, whilst the cost of travel and the relative inaccessibility are regarded as weaknesses. As Korea continues to mature as a tourist generating country, the prospects for special interest travel will improve and this will have particular relevance for secondary tourism destinations such as Melbourne. While Sydney's status as the hub destination will remain unchallenged, Melbourne has a competitive advantage in certain special interest markets, such as honeymooners, backpackers and luxury travellers. Tour quality is emerging as a key issue because of fierce discounting. Accessibility will remain a problem for regions and cities, such as Melbourne, not currently serviced by direct flights.