'It's one thing if you want backpackers on $50 a day, but the market Australia should be aiming for is the affluent and rising middle-class Asian market,'' he said. ''That is who Australia needs to be aiming for, because we are too far from Europe and too far from America.''

A strong Australian dollar, tough, antiquated and defensive visa applications for Asian visitors, run-down tourist facilities, four of our five key inbound tourist markets suffering from tough economic conditions or natural disasters, and fierce competition from our Asian neighbours, are taking their toll. But the rot dates back more than a decade.

The number of international tourists has stagnating at about 5-6 million, while other Asian countries such as Singapore and Macau raced ahead and lifted their rankings in travel and tourism competitiveness.

Packer is referring to the Singapore government decision to allow two casinos to open to help attract tourists.

It worked. Since they opened, monthly tourist arrivals to Singapore have increased by 19 per cent to 11.9 million, year-on-year, Singapore's GDP increased by 14.5 per cent in 2010 and contributions from the casinos in the first nine months was almost half of tourism GDP in the same period.

Indeed, Tourism Board chief Aw Kah Peng confirmed recently that Singapore was on target to reach $S30 billion ($A22.75 billion) revenue and 17 million visitors by 2015.

Some of the ways the Singapore government has encouraged tourism is by promoting the casinos in tourism brochures and advertising and ''fast-tracking'' through the government-owned Changi Airport, customs and immigration of VIP visitors to the integrated resorts.It is the luxurious six-star casinos that are the main drawcard. With an estimated 30 million Chinese patrons in the premium gambling market, and forecasts by PriceWaterhouse Coopers that casino gaming revenue will balloon to $US62.9 billion in the Asia Pacific region by 2014, Australia is in the right region to get a cut of the action.

program players spent $739 million during their visits to Australia in 2007-08. It estimated that expenditure associated with these players increased gross domestic product (GDP) by $84 million. Maintaining this export will raise Australian private consumption by $1.8 billion over 10 years.

Tourism is one of the country's biggest three export industries. It generates $92 billion in spending and contributes $33 billion in GDP and is the country's largest services export earner and massive job creator

As Packer said of the Barrier Reef: ''The Barrier Reef experience for a well-travelled tourist, is you arrive in Cairns, where the beach is unfortunately a mudflat, you go out to the reef on a hydrofoil that looks like it needs some money spent on it, you dive into the water and where the pontoon is located the reef looks like it is dying. You come back up and you are meant to say, 'Isn't this amazing?' It could be an amazing world-class experience, but we need to get our act together.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/pull-your-finger-out-australia-20110506-1ec4f.html#ixzz1LbpXiNEG