Sydney welcomes GCC agents to 'Yinala 2006'

Their visit was organized to give participants an opportunity to meet with Australian tourism operators and to experience the destination first-hand in the run-up to the heavy July and August travel season ex-GCC.

The agents, most of whom were first-time visitors to Australia, participated in the familiarization program and formal workshops. They visited landmarks, toured the attractions, met a few koalas and ate in some of the renowned Sydney restaurants and cafes. Following the scheduled days in Sydney, most of the agents headed off on various extension trips to other key destinations including Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

While in Sydney, the agents met with more than forty product sellers and had the chance to experience the fun 'Down Under' firsthand. "Our aim was to let all the agents experience just how fabulous the destination really is and how warm our hospitality can be," said Andrew Oldfield, TA's business development manager for the Middle East, based in Dubai. The gathering, TA's second annual 'Yinala' forum, specially devised for the needs of travel professionals from the GCC, was a great success for everyone involved.

Tourism Australia and partners including Emirates Holidays, Gulf Air, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Tourism New South Wales, Tourism Queensland, Tourism Victoria and Tourism Western Australia supported the visit.

Said Oldfield,

"The opportunity to welcome the travel trade here on our home turf was a wonderful opportunity to showcase what Australia is all about and we look forward to hosting Yinala 2007 in Melbourne. Australia is a unique and superb product; the GCC visitor seems to be catching on to that fact as the destination is set to soar in the Gulf Countries once again this year."

And he should know, as according to recently released figures, inbound arrivals from the Gulf Countries to Australia were up over 20% at the end of 2005 from the same period a year earlier.
And, for those who care to know, the word 'yinala' comes from the language of the indigenous group of Nunukal Wuggera aborigines, currently living on Stradbroke Island in Queensland where they've been for over six thousand years. The word means "gathering" or "sitting down place" and is pronounced 'yin - nah -la'. Befitting title it would seem.