Short-term Australian working holiday visas recommended
December 15 2009 by Liam Clifford
A newer version of the Australian working holiday visa could be introduced to tap into the unexploited student market.
Short-term
Australian working holiday visas could help boost tourism in Australia,
according to a study by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research
Centre.
The centre concludes that overseas students studying in Australia
are somewhat of an untapped source of tourism for the country. It recommends the
introduction of new short-term working holiday visas for foreign students to use
after they finish studying.
Other recommendations include some changes to
the Australian work visa. The centre proposes a reduction in the required
working hours and greater ability to extend the length of the visa.
Other
measures that could attract more tourists to come to Australia include the
addition of more high-adrenaline experiences like bungee jumping, skydiving and
surfing. This was suggested after the study found that more and more people are
visiting Australia to take part in such activities and extreme
sports.
New Zealand is currently ranked top for providing holidaymakers
and foreign students with high-adrenaline activities, with Australia ranked a
close second.
The study questioned some 1,500 backpackers living and
working in Australia on visas including the Australian working holiday visa.
These visas are an extremely popular option with travellers from the UK.
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