Essentials this week… | China ADS funding boost | National tourism strategy | Parineeti Chopra | Lunar New Year | Business Events Australia | Alipay pilot program | and more…

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6 February 2019     Parineeti Chopra shares Australian experiences with Indian fans Friend of Australia and Bollywood star Parineeti Chopra has published a second series of videos featuring her travel experiences in Australia on her widely followed social media channels. The videos feature Parineeti enjoying a range of experiences in Hamilton Island, Victoria and New South Wales and have collectively already received over seven million views. The new videos support the UnDiscover Australia campaign currently running in India which shows a different side to Australian travel and uncovers experiences that travellers can enjoy beyond the more recognisable icons.     6 February 2019     ADS funding boost The Government this week announced $11 million in funding to attract more Chinese tour group tourists to Australia. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) accounted for a quarter of all Chinese visitors to Australia each year and around $1 billion in expenditure.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA NEWS  Sydney to host Alipay global pilot program Alipay, the world's leading mobile payment and lifestyle platform, and Tourism Australia have announced Sydney as the pilot city for a new service to promote leading tourist and retail destinations to Chinese tourists, for the Chinese New Year festive period. The Sydney City Card will introduce Chinese tourists to sights and activities in hotspots around the city and provides special geotargeted promotions in key areas such as The Rocks, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, Darling Harbour, the Sydney Fish Market, Sydney Airport, Westfield Sydney, and Sydney Chinatown. Tourism Australia Lunar New Year celebration in Sydney More than 50 Australia-based Chinese inbound tour operators, airlines, state and territory representatives and ATEC gathered in Sydney last Friday for a Lunar New Year Luncheon hosted by Tourism Australia to welcome the 'Year of the Pig’. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O'Sullivan greeted the guests and said China has been a critical market to Australia’s Tourism 2020 strategy goals and the major driver in achieving the plan’s visitor spend targets by the end of the decade. “Longer-term, China will continue to be at the heart of Australia’s tourism strategy beyond 2020 and out to 2030,” he said. Business Events Australia hosts NZ customer advisory panel Tourism Australia’s business events team hosted a customer advisory panel for the New Zealand market in Sydney last week with seven key incentive agency planners attending the full day roundtable session. Discussions included market trends and consumer behaviour, with planners providing valuable strategic insights and feedback on Tourism Australia’s work in the NZ market. The day concluded with an update and networking session for Australian industry.

AUSTRALIAN STORIES  Explore Tropical North Queensland with local Chatbot Travellers to Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) can now tap into local knowledge on the Great Barrier Reef with the region's first destination chatbot, Locals of Tropical North Queensland. From unique marine life to the best diving locations, the 'Locals' chatbot provides easy access for visitors to explore and plan their trip to the reef through the Facebook Messenger app on their smart phone or computer. Cairns locals, marine biologist Gareth Phillips and scuba diving Instructor Tanya Murphy are the first people to feature on the chatbot. International golf tournament returns to Coffs Coast in 2019 Bonville Golf Resort invites visitors to the Coffs Coast to experience the 2019 Australian Ladies Classic Bonville. After its success in 2018, this event which is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the ALPG is set to return to NSW’s Coffs Harbour in 2019 from 18th – 24th February. Set to broadcast across 65 countries around the globe, all eyes will be on the beautiful Australian mainland golf course as some of the world’s most highly ranked female players compete in the championship. Spotlight on women’s competition in 2020 T20 World Cup The 2020 T20 World Cup is first time the tournament has been played in Australia and the first time the women’s competition has been staged as a standalone event. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will take place from 21 February – 8 March 2020, followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from 18 October – 15 November 2020. Tickets for the Women’s T20 World Cup go on sale on 21 February 2019 and fans can register for early access to tickets at t20worldcup.com. Sculpture at Scenic World accommodation deals released Scenic World has partnered with some of the Blue Mountains’ leading accommodation providers to roll out a series of exclusive Sculpture at Scenic World package deals. Now in its eighth year, Sculpture at Scenic World will transform the ancient rainforest into an outdoor art gallery from April 13 to May 13, with more than 25 world class sculptures to be exhibited among the stunning natural environment. Featuring a range of artworks, kids’ activities and free public programs, the 2019 exhibition caters for everyone.

INDUSTRY NEWS AND EVENTS  Destination Australia Conference 2019 Registration is open for Australia's top tourism marketing conference to be held on Thursday 14 March at the new Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane. Tailor-made for Australian tourism businesses serious about attracting high yield international travellers, an impressive  line-up of experts have been hand-picked for the Destination Australia Conference to delve into the big issues and tackle today’s most important tourism marketing questions. Tickets are $450 including GST. Tourism Australia Industry Briefing VIC Registration is open for the 2019 VTIC Visitor Economy Forum and Tourism Australia's Industry Briefing Victoria on Tuesday 26 February. The combined events will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. A fee applies for attending the morning VTIC Visitor Economy Forum. Attending Tourism Australia's Industry Briefing in the afternoon is free-of-charge. Australia Day 2019 Honours Tourism Australia wishes to pass on congratulations to the people who received Australia Day Honours for their work related to tourism: Allan Vidor; Andrea Staines; Bob O'Keeffe; Bruce Leaver; Debbie Alexander; Deborah Beale; Grant Cassidy; John Menzies; Judy Vanrenen; Laurence Stroud; Leslie Moulds; Luke Mangan; Lyndall De Marco; Natalie O'Brien; Nelune Rajapakse; Olivia Newton-John AO OBE; Paul Constantinou; Ron Chapman; Thomas McGuire; William Clegg. National tourism strategy consultation Consultations are open until Friday 8 March on Australia’s next national tourism strategy, with industry stakeholders encouraged to have their say on a draft report developed by the Beyond Tourism 2020 Steering Committee. The Report outlines six pillars to further grow the tourism industry beyond 2020.

NEWS IN BRIEF    Virgin Australia has announced the appointment of Paul Scurrah as its new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Tourism Australia wishes to pass on its congratulations to Peter Doggett, CEO of Connecting Southern Gold Coast, who recently announced his retirement after 44 years in the tourism industry. Tourism and Events Queensland is hosting Great Barrier Reef forums across Queensland throughout February to engage directly with tourism operators to share consumer insights as well as TEQ’s strategic focus.     Information about the opportunity for investment in wellness tourism has been published on the tourism investment website managed by Tourism Australia and Austrade. Spa tourism is profiled, including the recent expansion of the Peninsula Hot Springs. Nominations have opened for the 2019 National Travel Industry Awards, which will celebrate industry excellence across 44 categories. Brisbane Airport Corporation and Brisbane Marketing have teamed up for a campaign which will provide further benefits to the state's tourism industry as it looks to attract more visitors by promoting Brisbane as the gateway to Australia.

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