Corporate events may boost Aussie tourism IN the face of a high dollar, Australian tourism chiefs are turning to multi-billion-dollar business events to lure more foreigners - and their cash - to our shores. To achieve this, Tourism Australia has boosted its marketing to host events such as conventions and exhibitions by 34 per cent, or five million dollars, Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said on Monday. The latest figures show 15 per cent, or $13 billion of total tourism spending in Australia is a direct result of business events. One in seven of Australia's international visitors last year came to attend such an event, up eight per cent on the previous year. "A key focus is to make Australia a prime destination for business events," Mr Ferguson said at the launch of Business Events Week in Melbourne. When it comes to these events, we mean business. The week will see more than 50 business events as well as the Australian International Airshow, near Geelong, which is set to lure a mixed corporate and sightseeing audience. The next two years will see Melbourne host more than seven of the world's biggest conferences, including the World Diabetes Conference and the International AIDS conference, which are tipped to lure about 27,000 delegates. Mr Ferguson announced on Monday that Dream Time - a weeklong showcase designed to give international events buyers a chance to meet other members from the industry - would also be held in Melbourne in December.