Swinburne talks tourism appeal of Central Europe

Researchers from Swinburne have joined conversations to discuss outbound tourism opportunities that the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have to offer Australia and the rest of the world.

Dr Áron Perényi, lecturer in International Business at Swinburne, organised a collaborative forum with the Hungarian Consular Office, Melbourne, which featured tourism opportunities for Eastern Europe.

Dr Tony Nankervis, Swinburne University of Technology, introduced the changing global tourism landscape in his keynote speech.

“Substantial demographic shifts and significant changes in consumer preferences are rapidly changing established tourism flows globally and in Australia,” Dr Nankervis says.

“The millennial – as tourists – want to engage with arts, history and heritage on their own terms. This new generation of tourists needs different services and they collect information from different sources.”

Mr Bakonyi, Head of Hungarian Consular Office, Melbourne, said the forum was a great opportunity to increase the visibility of Central Europe to Australian tourism businesses.

“The value proposition of Central European tourism destinations can effectively match the needs of the millennial generation,” Mr Bakonyi says.

He also highlighted that Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia represent a comparable market to France, Germany and the UK, while offering substantial diversity and heritage that is essential to the tourism sector.

Dr Perényi announced that a series of events engaging Australian businesses with Central Europe – fostered by Swinburne– will continue throughout 2016. The next in the series will be the Central European Business Forum, which has been officially accepted and scheduled as part of Small Business Victoria Festival 2016.

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