ASBAS NATI ​​

Northern Australia is as defined in the Northern Australia White Paper (NAWP). Currently this means all of the Northern Territory and regions of Western Australia and Queensland north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

An ASBAS tourism client is defined as a tourism small business or tourism small business intender in northern Australia, whose products and/or services are or will be used by tourists, and who is the client of an ASBAS provider.

Small businesses unless otherwise stated are defined as businesses having less than 20 full time (or equivalent) employees:

• An employee can be defined as a person that a business directly engages, controls and pays a wage for their labour, who does not have a substantial management role in the day to day operations of the business.
• Full time work can be defined as those employees who usually work 35 hours or more per week. Businesses with a range of employment arrangements such as casuals and part-time workers, should calculate the number of hours worked by other than full time employees and divide that total by 35. For example 3 casual employees working 12 hours per week work a total of 36 hours per week. This equates to one full time employee.​

​Tourism small businesses are defined as small businesses that must:

• derive a significant portion of their revenue from tourists
• operate in tourism related industries, including accommodation; cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services; clubs, pubs, taverns and bars; passenger transport; tour operator services; cultural services; sports and recreation services; and retail trade (not including intermediaries that resell tickets or vouchers for tourism-related products and services).

Tourism small business intenders are defined as a person/s who has/have a business idea and has/have the intention to develop the idea and/or start a new tourism small business or is exploring expanding, or purchasing, an existing tourism small business to operate in tourism related industries.

Tourist is defined as a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than to be employed.

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ASBAS NATI - THE SIX TOURISM STREAMS

Within each of the six tourism streams, there are a number of eligible activities as outlined below.

1.1  Funding avenues and financial analysis
​The service provider must provide:

• independent information and guidance on available banking and finance products, how to present finance bids, effective cash flow management processes and financial data interpretation and referrals to accounting advice.

1.2  Building your business
​The service provider must provide:

• diagnostic assessment of current business operations, followed by business planning advice that meets identified needs
• assistance in preparing marketing plans on promotional opportunities and advertising options
• guidance on entering new markets and the feasibility of new business ideas, including exporting products or services
• referrals to other providers that have specific experience in a given industry or business proposition.

1.3  Making the most of your talent and team
The service provider must provide:

• guidance on human resource strategies, including recruitment, employment and occupational health and safety (OH&S) requirements
• advisory service meetings and networking opportunities
• talent recruitment and retention tools
• training programmes to inform tourism small businesses and small business tourism intenders whose products and/or services are or will be used by tourists about significant new regulations and/or relevant Australian Government business initiatives.

1.4  Management capabilities
​The service provider must provide:

• assistance with creating, reviewing and implementing business plans, assessing and improving supply-chain management, succession planning and creating security over leased premises or intellectual property
• assistance to access appropriate legal advice, including on licencing, retail tenancy, intellectual property and credit management.

1.5  Digital engagement implementation
The service provider must provide:

• advice and assistance on e-commerce take-up
• advice and assistance with information technology and broadband services issues
• advice on adopting technology concepts to assist with marketing, managing and growing ideas.

1.6  Tourism ready
​The service provider must provide:

• advice on understanding different tourism markets and the potential of these markets to grow tourism businesses
• advice on developing businesses to target the preferences of tourists, including specific Asian markets
• advice on marketing products or services to tourists
• advice on resources available to improve knowledge on tourism markets
• advice about government assistance available to develop or promote businesses to tourists, including the tourism 2020 Strategy.