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Compared to 2024, the number of foreign visitors to the U.S. in 2025 has declined by more than 6.8 million (-9.4%). The overwhelming majority of this decline is attributable to a substantial drop in Canadian visitors (-5.6 million, -27.5%). There have also been significant declines in visitors from Mexico (-369 thousand) and Germany (-225 thousand). The economic effects are nontrivial, with substantial direct impacts on the hospitality and transportation sectors, particularly at the local level. In addition, there are considerable indirect and induced effects.

My column in today’s The Advertiser Business Journal - although I can’t lay claim to the headline! South Australian Business Chamber

Over the past six years, thousands of people have downloaded and used our MVP app and every one of you has helped shape what comes next. Your feedback, your curiosity, and your willingness to explore with us have been invaluable. 2026 marks the beginning of our next chapter. We’re now moving into development of an updated website and a brand‑new suite of mobile apps including the Great Ocean Road region. This next build isn’t just an upgrade it’s the foundation for a smarter, more connected visitor experience and a stronger digital ecosystem for local operators. If you’ve been part of the journey so far, thank you. If you’re discovering us for the first time, here’s where we’re heading: https://lnkd.in/gNtCxRWa The future of regional discovery is being built right here. #greatoceanroad #visitvictoria #12apostles #digitaldiscovery

The Albanese Federal Government of Australia has indicated that housing targets are now aspirational only, resulting in a $300,000 increase in the cost of aspiring to home ownership. We are witnessing a new level of incomprehensibility amid Australia's worst-ever affordable housing crisis. The ambitious goal of constructing 1.2 million dwellings in five years seems unachievable, especially with a current shortage of over 250,000 skilled tradespeople across Metropolitan Australia, which relies on slow and inefficient custom construction methods. Recently, Homes NSW, an NSW Government agency, has decided to abandon 1,500 new dwelling projects due to feasibility concerns, as reported by the SMH. In Metropolitan Sydney alone, approximately 35,000 high-quality mid-rise apartments are needed annually for the foreseeable future. Notably, over 80% of Metropolitan Sydney's housing requirements are for apartments, yet only around 10,000 are expected to be built annually over the next three years. The Thrive Alliance consortia are poised to scale up over the next 3 to 5 years, aiming to produce around 15,000 apartments this year and to deliver inclusive, high-quality, residential-grade mid-rise apartments annually from the world's largest advanced volumetric modular production facility, on a scale comparable to automotive manufacturing plants. Planned over the next 2-3 years: two additional massive-scale plants, up to 40,000 inclusive-quality mid-rise apartments per year. This will be accomplished through our advanced volumetric modular construction facility, which provides fast-track, fast-to-market, and carbon-free pathway solutions for gentle density infill housing. This housing shortfall is projected to add $300,000 to the cost of achieving the dream of homeownership. It is not sustainable, as the market is on the cusp of having no financial capacity to pay for younger families, especially essential and key city workers, who make up over 500,000 in Metropolitan Sydney's workforce. For a closer look at our Thrive Alliance inclusive quality residential-grade mid-rise apartments, please visit Thriveconstruct.com.au For further details, you can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/df5GQZd8. #Harropfactor #Placemaker #UrbanRenewal #Inclusiveness #residentialgrade #midrise #fasttrack #fasttomarket #SocialResponsibility #essentialworkers #keyworkers #BabyBoomers #downsizingoptions #socialdwellings #ThriveAlliance #AffordableHousing #BigThinking

Make Victoria the Innovation State Call for Innovators and Entrepreneurs The Victorians www.victorians.org.au Leyla-Lidia Yalcin will lead our Team of Candidates for the #Victorians in this year's Victorian state election. She is putting together a team of #innovators and #entrepreneurs to rebuild a broken state. #Leyla is an Australian of Turkish background, living in Sydenham in Melbourne’s West. She is a Principal Consultant for global tech company #Oracle, working in infrastructure and engineering. She has worked in the Middle East and North Africa. Leyla is a single mother with a 10 year daughter, a former primary school teacher, and wants to reform #schools and revive #teaching as a profession. She is passionate about youth mental health and support for kids and families. Our #Mission To transform Victoria into a powerhouse in innovation, technology, education and research, and a leader in open, transparent and accountable democracy. Our aim is to fix the state's #operating system, not just its potholes. Our #Goal To secure the election of sufficient Members of the Victorian Parliament in November 2026 to hold the Balance of Power and drive a transformative agenda. Our #Method To harness the power of five of Victoria’s most unrecognised and underutilised #sectors in winning seats in the Victorian Parliament: a. the #innovation and #research sector; b. small and medium-sized enterprises (#SMEs); c. #immigrant communities, e. #teachers and #healthworkers, and d. the #regions. Join Us https://lnkd.in/eCKj2PW5 ___ The 2026 Victorian State Election represents a historical inflexion point. The state is currently trapped in a cycle of "Extractive Economics"—a passive model reliant on #property taxes, #gambling revenue, and spiralling #debt—while productivity stagnates. The Labor Government offers "protection" without growth, treating voters as dependents. The Liberal Opposition looks backward to a pre-digital era, fighting culture wars instead of economic ones. "The Victorians" propose a radical #pivot. We will transform Victoria from the self-proclaimed "Education State" into the "Innovation State"—the epicentre of the Future Digital Economy of Australia. Our #strategy is built on a powerful new #coalition. We believe that Victoria’s immigrant communities are not just a demographic #feature but our greatest economic #engine. By harnessing the "Quiet Architects" of our immigrant communities and pairing them with the institutional #stability of our Anglo-European heritage, we will drive a generation of wealth, innovation, and trade that benefits all Victorians. www.victorians.org.au