About 40 tourism students from South and North Metropolitan TAFEs will play an important role at the 40th annual Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), which is being held in Perth from April 8 to 12, 2019.
ATE is Tourism Australia's premier tourism industry trade event, and Australia's largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business event, attracting about 600 international and domestic buyers and 70 media from more than 30 countries.
The event will also bring about 1,400 sellers from more than 550 companies to Perth, and is expected to deliver around $9 million to the Western Australian economy during the event.
The TAFE tourism student volunteers will perform roles ranging from event officers to delegate experience officers, providing support and information services to delegates across a number of locations including the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth Airport and event locations.
All volunteer work carried out will be assessed as part of the students' TAFE courses, while also providing them with a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the biggest tourism trade shows in the world.
The students will work alongside Tourism Western Australia, Tourism Australia and Western Australia Visitor Centre staff over the course of the event, enabling them to network with tourism industry professionals and gain valuable industry insights.
Tourism WA held three comprehensive training sessions for the students, including ATE orientation, role-specific training and venue-specific training, and will offer them a guided walk-through of the trade show floor during the event.
ATE, which was last hosted in Perth in 2012, will help position Western Australia as a leading tourism destination.
As stated by Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:
"It is wonderful to see this collaboration between Tourism WA and tourism students from North Metro and South Metro TAFEs for ATE19.
"Being involved with the ATE will undoubtedly help the students with future employment prospects in the tourism industry once they graduate, and also provide a welcome helping hand to Tourism WA and WA Visitor Centre staff over the course of the event.
"I would like to congratulate all involved with making this happen and wish the students all the best in the future, working in the tourism industry."
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"The opportunity for the students to gain insider knowledge of the industry they've chosen to work in, and the experience they will get from being involved in Australia's largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business event is invaluable.
"The Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management students will be able to use this experience to contribute to their TAFE qualification.
"I congratulate TAFE and the Australian Tourism Exchange on this partnership to provide students with real life experience working with tourism industry professionals."
