SYDNEY, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Tourism Futures convenor Tony Charters on Monday urged Australia's tourism industry to join forces with New Zealand to lure international visitors.
New research conducted for the Tourism Futures conference, being held in Brisbane next week, has found more than half the Australian tourism industry rates New Zealand as its fiercest competitor.
"Despite our sporting rivalries, perhaps we have a lot to learn from New Zealand, and a lot to gain from working more closely together," he said.
"We have a strong delegation of key executives from New Zealand 's industry at the conference this year, so the discussions could be very interesting."
Charters said Australia and New Zealand could potentially present as a united destination, under a strategic alliance including marketing, quality standards, training standards and a relaxation of border controls, similar to the 10 ASEAN countries in Southeast Asia.
"ASEAN countries established strategic partnerships because they recognized the global community does not see them as 10 separate tourism destinations," he said.
