Essentials this week… | Aussie Specialist Ambassadors | Travel Agent training in the US | Canadian famil | Marketplace events | and more…

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27 March 2019     Aussie Specialist Ambassadors adventure Down Under Three lucky Aussie Specialists who were in Byron Bay as part of the Aussie Specialist Ambassador program were thrilled to have a surprise visit from Tourism Australia’s Global Ambassador Chris Hemsworth this week. Tourism Australia is currently hosting three famils around the country for international travel agents from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Indonesia and New Zealand so they can create inspirational content that will educate other agents on Australia’s diverse tourism experiences and destinations. The Aussie Specialist Program provides frontline travel sellers from around the globe with the knowledge and skills to best sell Australia and is supported by all State and Territory tourism organisations. It is available in 11 languages and currently includes over 30,000 qualified Aussie Specialists worldwide.     27 March 2019     Dundee ad nominated for Logie Award Tourism Australia's Dundee ad is a finalist in the ‘most popular TV commercial’ category at The TV Week Logie Awards. The new award celebrates the most creative, entertaining and the best TV commercials produced for Australian audiences and consumers. Voting ends Sunday 31 March.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA NEWS  Australia on show at Travel Agent Forum in the US Over 200 travel advisors from across North America were given an in-depth update on Australian destinations and experiences during training sessions at the Travel Agent Forum in Las Vegas last week. As a platinum sponsor of the event Tourism Australia also had one-on-one meetings with 24 of the ‘Select Advisors’ who were hosted to attend the conference as a result of their +US$1million sales. Many of the agents also registered for the Aussie Specialist Program and the opportunity to attend Corroborree West 2019 in Perth and six day familiarisations this October. Canadian media get a taste of Victoria and South Australia Two Canadian journalists and an influencer who cover luxury experiences ventured Down Under last week as part of a visit to promote Air Canada's direct Vancouver - Melbourne route which is increasing in frequency in 2019. The trio travelled to Victoria and South Australia, attended the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival World’s Longest Lunch, went hot air ballooning and visited Kangaroo Island. The visit was hosted through Tourism Australia’s international media hosting program and supported by Visit Victoria and South Australia Tourism Commission. A profile on Melbourne and The Great Ocean Road has already appeared in Quebec's affluent online magazine Avenues. TA rebrands offshore missions to Australia Marketplace Tourism Australia’s offshore missions are being rebranded to Australia Marketplace. Upcoming Australia Marketplace events to diarise include: Australia Marketplace India (formerly India Travel Mission) from 8 to 12 August 2019; Australia Marketplace South East Asia (formerly Walkabout South East Asia) from 30 September to 2 October 2019; Australia Marketplace UK & Europe (a new event which replaces European Product Workshop and World Travel Market), from 30 to 31 October 2019; Australia Marketplace China from 11 to 15 November and Australia Premium Showcase China (formerly Greater China Travel Mission and Greater China Premium Showcase) from 14 to 16 November; Australia Marketplace Japan (formerly Walkabout Japan) will take place in early 2020. Australia Marketplace USA remains an event owned by the STOs, from 26 to 29 August 2019. All events are listed on Tourism Australia's industry events calendar.

AUSTRALIAN STORIES  Bold, exciting and diverse - Vivid returns to Sydney’s Harbour The largest festival of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere, Vivid Sydney will return to the Harbour City this winter from 24 May to 15 June 2019. The 22-day festival is the largest outdoor gallery of its kind and will celebrate a new decade of innovation and creativity with an inspiring and star-studded program of events. Bright lights and bold animations will illuminate some of Sydney’s most iconic locations including Luna Park, the Sydney Opera House sails, the Argyle Cut in the Rocks, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Taronga Zoo and more. The 2019 Vivid program is available now. Mid-week fiesta at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market Melbourne’s popular Queen Victoria Market is set to launch their brand-new Europa Night Market next month, operating every Wednesday night from 10 April to 8 May. In celebration of Melbourne’s diverse European roots, the busting European-style street party gives visitors as taste of the unique quirks, traditions and cultures from across the continent. With over 20 food outlets and 20 retail stalls, Flamenco and Ukrainian dance-parties and a weekly silent disco, this five-week fiesta is the perfect activity to break up the week. The countdown is on for Orange F.O.O.D Week, New South Wales The highly anticipated Orange F.O.O.D Week kicks off in just two weeks, with more than 90 events showcasing the region’s quality produce, culinary talent and award-winning wines. Australia’s longest running regional food festival will take place over 10 days from 5 – 15 April and is packed full of signature events featuring more than 40 farm gates and cellar doors during the region’s autumn harvest and vintage. Tasty highlights include a three-course Autumn Grazing Dinner in Blayney, the Orange F.O.O.D Train and Night Markets or give your belly a break and have a boogie at the Reggae and Wine Party with local wine-marker Philip Shaw. Sculpture at Scenic World returns to transform the Blue Mountains Sculpture at Scenic World returns to New South Wales heritage-listed Blue Mountains rainforest from 12 April to 12 May 2019. Now in its eighth year, 25 world-class artworks and sculptures will be exhibited amongst the natural environment transforming the ancient rainforest into a fascinating outdoor gallery. Featuring daily tours, kids’ activities and a new ‘Sculpture Otherwise’ outdoor expedition which promises to capture the imaginations or the young and old. Tickets are on sale now.

NEWS IN BRIEF    Destination NSW opened a NSW-themed retail store in Shanghai last week in partnership with Ctrip. The store will provide information on Sydney and regional NSW destinations, events, experiences and travel itineraries and will remain open until February 2020. Respected tourism industry hotelier Michael Johnson will be the next national and NSW head of the accommodation sector’s peak body - Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA). Tourism Research Australia is hosting a free-of-charge webinar on the tourism data landscape on Wednesday 3 April covering the potential benefits of complementary data sources and the challenges for the tourism industry in using them. Registration is open for the 2019 Destination Melbourne LIVE tourism conference on Thursday 30 May at the Arts Centre Melbourne. The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) is inviting expressions of interest by Monday 1 April from sellers with commissionable product ready for the inbound market to attend the Beyond the Barrel National Wine Tourism Conference 2019 from 18 - 20 June in McLaren Vale and Adelaide, South Australia.     Applications are open until Monday 1 April for the first round of funding to support 2019 as the Year of Outback Tourism in Queensland. Applications are open until Wednesday 17 April for grant funding to develop an innovative solution that captures, aggregates and effectively measures all aspects of the tourism industry as part of the Australian Government’s Business Research and Innovation Initiative. Submissions are open until Friday 24 May for the 2019 NSW Regional Tourism Awards (previously known as the Inland NSW Tourism Awards). The draft South Australian Visitor Economy Sector Plan 2030 is now open for industry feedback. Tourism Australia has published presentations from the fifth annual Destination Australia Conference held in March in Brisbane and is inviting industry to register their interest for next year’s conference on Thursday 12 March in Adelaide.

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