Business events specialists take many aspects into consideration when planning an international incentive or conference. These include safety issues, the destination’s appeal, costs, flight availability and airport access.
However, a few years ago Tourism Australia took this process one step further by introducing efficient visa processing for MICE groups via its Preferred Aussie Specialist programme (PAS).
PAS agents are local travel agents and MICE bookers who have completed Tourism Australia’s accredited training on selling Australia and knowing about its visa requirements. As of June 2010, 1,257 agents globally were registered for the Aussie Specialist Program, and 527 were fully qualified.
Great success
Maggie White, Tourism Australia’s general manager of Southeast Asia and Gulf Countries, says the programme has been a great success, particularly in India.
“We rolled this scheme out in India and other countries that don’t yet have Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visas for entry into Australia,” she says. “Corporates planning long-haul travel want to know the visas are approved before sending clients any destination information.”
India was Australia’s 11th-largest inbound market with 117,500 visitors in 2009, and is the eighth largest in terms of room nights with people spending an average US$6,000 per trip.
However while actual visitor numbers increased between 2008 and 2009, business events visitors dropped by 15 per cent due to the economic climate and unfavourable exchange rates.
Major clients
Virender Taluja, managing director of Fortune Tours in India, manages incentive programmes for companies such as Hewlett-Packard, ExxonMobil and ICI. His company has been a PAS agent for three years.
“It has been very helpful and we haven’t experienced any non-compliance issues,” says Taluja. “Every attendee has been guaranteed by the client.” He says the PAS programme has improved the application process provided the visa applications are done correctly.
“We can’t advertise to clients that we are on the e-visa system, but we tell them about it in the destination description,” he says. “The Australian High Commission requires the correct documents from us. It’s just that we don’t accept anyone off the street when putting an application together. We work closely with the client to provide a list of all the attendees’ details, background checks, addresses, financials and business credentials.”
This background work saves a lot of time for clients, says Taluja. “Other national tourist offices help in different ways to get visas, but no one makes it as efficient or provides as much assistance as Tourism Australia,” he says.
“For a group of 100 people it usually only takes a few hours for the visas to be approved. We tell clients that in terms of international destinations, the Australian visa is quicker and simpler to apply for, provided all necessary documents are in order.”
Smooth process
Geetanjali Alamshah, director of Journeys & Destinations India, agrees that time is the key factor.
“Companies in India do want a smoother visa process, but this can be difficult as Indian groups often don’t submit documents on time,” she says. “Because of the e-visa and PAS programme, I know I can submit applications for an incentive group on the final day and they will be approved as long as the paperwork is in order.
“This makes life easier for us. We have the comfort of doing the visa applications in our own office. Australia is definitely a more attractive destination because of this.”