Supercharging a sustainable visitor economy through
AI and smart technologies.
OUR PARTNERS
We're so excited to have such an incredible group of industry partner on board this Next-Gen Visitor Economy CRC Bid - 52 Industry Partners and 5 University Partners.
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About Us
Redesigning Australia’s visitor economy for the next generation of consumers and employees, to build stronger communities and competitive destinations.
As the world’s attention turns to Australia in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop digital technologies to transform our visitor economy into a world leader in innovative, digitally enhanced tourism and event experiences.
What is a CRC?
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program was established by the Australian Government in 1990 to support industry-led, medium to long-term research collaborations to help solve industry related problems.
"As international travel reaches full recovery, the challenge focuses on using AI to improve personalised services, streamline operations, and elevate customer engagement, delivering scalable solutions that bring measurable results." (United Nations Tourism)
Australia's Visitor Economy
2.9% of
Australia's GDP
Worth $78 billion
1 in 7
businesses
355,600 tourism-related businesses
1 in 23
jobs
Directly employs
600,000 people
AI and automation is
expected to generate up to
$600 billion a year
towards Australia's GDP by 2030
Our Vision
​The Next Gen Visitor Economy CRC will lead the transformation of the visitor economy by pioneering cutting-edge technologies, innovative business models, and sustainable practices that deliver unparalleled visitor experiences, drive productivity and competitiveness, and foster resilient, regenerative destinations for future generations.
Our Mission
To harness the power of AI, innovative technologies, and collaboration to develop world-leading visitor experiences and destinations.
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The Next Gen Visitor Economy CRC will:​
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Uncover what consumers want next drawing from the vast amounts of data to enable businesses to anticipate opportunities and invest in the next generation of visitor experiences.
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Co-design breakthrough AI and other technologies that optimise business operations and planning, improving tourism workforce opportunities, productivity, and service quality of visitor experiences and destinations.
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Drive the creation of sustainable and resilient visitor destinations by designing and deploying cutting-edge technologies, supporting regenerative tourism initiatives, monitoring environmental and community well-being, and empowering regional and First Nations-led development.
Through our work, we aim to drive regional development and celebrate and empower First Nations.
Interested in getting involved?
We have recently submitted a CRC Bid for Round 26 of The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program by the Australian Government. If you're still interested in exploring collaboration opportunities, please contact our CRC Team to discuss further and learn more about our CRC Bid status.
If successful, the Next-Gen Visitor Economy CRC will be established in 2026, running through until 2033.
Interested to learn more?
To discuss how you could participate, please contact:
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Professor Sarah Gardiner
+61 7 5552 7163