The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) celebrated a transformative 2024, showcasing strategic achievements, industry growth, and a renewed vision for the future.

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) hosted its 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 3, 2024, celebrating a year marked by significant progress and strategic initiatives supporting the tourism industry.

During the meeting, ATEC confirmed its National Board appointments. Birgit Bourne from Insight Australia and Kathy Turner from Goway Inbound were re-elected unopposed to Buyer positions, while Richard Doyle of SeaLink Marine & Tourism retained his role as a Supplier representative.

Key achievements highlighted for 2024 included:

• Organizing 17,000 nationwide B2B meetings, engaging over 1,200 delegates.
• Facilitating over 4,000 enrolments through ATEC’s Tourism Training Hub.
• Delivering 13 specialized education programs to enhance export industry capacity.
• Experiencing substantial membership growth with strong renewals and new sign-ups.
• Achieving a 95% member satisfaction rate, with 98% acknowledging the value for money of their membership.
• Securing the reinstatement of the Approved Destination Status (ADS) program for the China market.
• Successfully negotiating an extension of the Reviving International Tourism Grant (RITG) program, allowing members more time to utilize grant funding.

The AGM underscored ATEC’s pivotal role in fostering industry resilience and advancing tourism export opportunities.