Despite whingeing from the top-end of the hotel sector you can’t help think that World Youth Day 08 is anything but good news for Australia’s international tourism strategy.
And seriously, more fool them if they ever believed that they were going to be choc-a-block with attendees during the week-long festivities.
A little research into the demographics of WYD “pilgrims” well before the event should have revealed that these young people didn’t have the type of budget where they’d be staying in the lap of luxury. And, not surprisingly, they haven’t.
But that’s not to say that this event hasn’t been good for Sydney and Australia as a whole. These predominantly teenage youth have come and seen what makes us tick in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Many now are students of secondary and tertiary education, and that has to be good news for the business events community.
Picture a young science student from France a few years down the track signing up for a conference in Sydney because it will not only be great for their career, but it will no doubt bring back memories of their time there. They might even bring their whole family this time around. After all, that’s where they met their wife or husband.
Or what about a doctor who 10 years from now is on the board of a medical association that is considering taking their international congress to Sydney? Depending upon whether they had a good time during WYD 08 (and how couldn’t you when you’re in your teens and away from mum and dad?), they might very well be the one that tips the scales in favour of our city over another.
No doubt in the wash-up there will be plenty who say it cost too much money and that it shouldn’t have been done, but as some bright spark said to me once, when you’re a world-class city you have to be willing to play host to world-class spectacles.
The publicity hasn’t been bad either. A quick google search found the Pope and Sydney had received publicity in the following:
UK – The Guardian, BBC
US – CNN, New York Times
France – Le Figaro
Canada – The Globe
Asia – South China Morning Post, CNN
South Africa – The Cape Argus
With no riots, no threats or otherwise of terrorism-style activity, and really no incidences of a negative nature relating to his visit to Sydney, can anyone put a value on that kind of good PR? I think not!
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