ANZA 2017 Workshop to showcase Cairns as International Education destination
The Australia New Zealand Agent (ANZA) Workshop, to be held in Cairns 5 – 7 April 2017, is expected to add over $780,000 to the Cairns economy. Event organiser ICEF will bring together hundreds of educators, work & travel organisations, industry service providers and international agents from nearly 50 countries. 2017 is the first time this international event is to be held in a regional centre. Celebrating its twentieth year, Study Cairns is proud to assist ICEF (which is celebrating its 10th year) host an event of regional significance.
Study Cairns President Carol Doyle recognises that Cairns offers exceptional education programs and pathways across all four education sectors: schools, English language, vocational education and University and is well placed to cater for the needs of international students at any age and academic level.
‘Holding ANZA 2017 in Cairns also offers an exciting opportunity to promote Edu Tourism services and facilities by Cairns tourism operators, some of whom are developing new products with shorter study tours,’ said Ms Doyle.
‘Educational tourism is a burgeoning industry in Cairns. Students are seeking to learn more about our culture, history, wildlife and marine research opportunities. Tourism operators members enjoy sharing the ‘back story’ of running a tourism operation with international students.’
International education is an important driver of the Cairns economy with nearly 30,000 international students from over 76 countries now choosing to study in Cairns each year. Students are choosing to visit Cairns for a variety of study options from days on a study tour program or for long term study at one of the region’s internationally accredited schools, Vocational Colleges or Universities. It is estimated that international education brings in over $150m annually to far north Queensland with Cairns’ multi-cultural aspect a major drawcard and directly employs 1050 people.
Prior to the commencement of the four-day ANZA Workshop, Study Cairns with the support of Cairns Regional Council and Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), will host 30 pre-selected VIP agents on a familiarisation tour. Study Cairns members have offered phenomenal support to showcase the world-class facilities and products of the region. Delegates will visit educational institutions as well as experiencing some of the tourism attractions the region is renowned for.
‘Education Agents participating in familiarisation tours will become ambassadors for Cairns. During the famil they will personally inspect our schools, colleges and universities, giving them confidence that Cairns has education and research facilities that are globally competitive. During the three day familiarisation agents will also experience first-hand why international students consider Cairns to be a safe, friendly, affordable, and accessible destination to study in,’ said Ms Doyle.
The ANZA Workshop and Inbound Agent Famils event is expected to attract 400 visitors each day. The event is deemed the most efficient and cost-effective way for operators to personally meet a large number of high-quality agents committed to sending students and youth travellers to Australia and New Zealand. The 2016 ANZA Workshop hosted 419 participants representing 290 organisation from 47 countries. The average spend per person is estimated to be $300 per person per day.
The Event Impact Summary prepared by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) calculates the ANZA Workshop’s Direct Impact to be $412,800, Industrial Impact of $247,382 and Consumption Impact of $129,231, concluding that the total impact on the Cairns economy to be $789,413.
Wrapping up the four-day event, Study Cairns will host an ANZA Agent Farewell Cruise on Trinity Inlet at 5.30pm Friday 7 April with the Hon Curtis Pitt MP, Treasurer and Minister for Trade & Investment the Guest of Honour.