TOURISM TAKES MAJOR STEP TO NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
Source: Australia. Minister for Tourism. Media Release
"The tourism industry today took a major step towards voluntary, national accreditation with the inaugural meeting of the National Accreditation Framework Joint Working Group in Parliament House, Canberra.
Minister for Tourism, the Hon Martin Ferguson MP, convened the meeting which included representatives of key tourism industry associations and State and Territory tourism organisations which currently operate accreditation programs.
Minister Ferguson said: "Tourism is Australia's largest export services industry accounting for 3.7 per cent of total Australian GDP and 10.4 per cent of total exports in 2006-07.
"However, the tourism industry faces challenges of an increasingly competitive global tourism market and increasing consumer expectations.
"A widely-endorsed accreditation framework is vital to lifting the standard of the Australian tourism experience."