A financial bonus is one way to reward exceptional employees, Tourism Australia however suggests another, reports Sophie Loras.

The idea to encourage businesses to reward their exceptional staff with the holiday of a lifetime in Australia is not a new one. Incentive travel aimed at overseas corporates to bring their teams of high achieving staff to Australia has been around for almost a decade. But in the last few years, and with today's current financial climate, Asia - and more specifically China - is becoming a bigger and bigger target.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2007, 19,344 convention and conference visitors arrived in Australia from China making it the largest group in the Asia region. The numbers were a 48 percent increase on the previous year. The second largest convention and conference group from Asia in 2007 was Korea, with just 8,368 visitors. And with the recent drop in the value of the Australian dollar against the yuan, Australia is likely to become an even more lucrative destination for the Chinese market in the future.

"This isn't your average trip to Australia," says Tourism Australia's chief China representative,
May Tang.

"It's about giving employees an experience they will never get at home."

The VIP treatment can include anything from hot air ballooning over the Yarra Valley to dinner at the Melbourne Aquarium, swimming with dolphins or sailing a yacht on Sydney Harbour.

"It's about giving employees an experience they will never get at home."

Incentive tours to Australia are pitched not solely as rewards in lieu of financial bonuses to exceptional staff but as a tool for companies to increase loyalty within the organisation, develop more cohesive teams or as rewards for increased sales or productivity.

Tours can also provide an opportunity to take employees out of their usual context of an office or a boardroom and conduct work related programs during the tours.

Some incentive tours being run in Australia offer a real sense of exclusivity - including access to prestigious locations such as Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour or government buildings off limits to the general public to meetings with key people such as city mayors, tourism chiefs or state and federal ministers. They can even include special welcoming announcements from the pilot as the group boards a plane to fireworks displays of the company logo as the group sails across Sydney Harbour.

"The aim is to encourage your people to over achieve by offering them the trip of a lifetime," says Tang. "And if you give them the trip of a lifetime, they will talk about it for a lifetime." ■

TAIKANG LIFE INSURANCE

In April 2008, Chinese life insurance company Taikang Life took 480 of its top performing agents on a seven-day incentive trip to Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The trip began in Sydney where the group took in the views of Bondi Beach and later rode through Sydney's CBD on a Harley Davidson to Circular Quay. They then enjoyed a dinner of fresh seafood and fine wine while on a luxury cruise of Sydney Harbour. While in Sydney, the company's top performers were acknowledged during a special awards night at the State Theatre.

The tour then moved on to Brisbane and the Gold Coast where delegates spent a day at Warner Bros. Movie World, cuddled koalas, patted kangaroos and a took part in a stint of sheep shearing. The trip was topped off with a gala dinner at Sea World.

"The unique scenery and culture of Australia makes holding incentive tours in Australia very attractive," said David Wang, Taikang Life's Planning Manager of the trip.