Traveling Blog: Essentials this week… Holiday Here This Year update I Expanded working holiday maker visas I Destination Australia I and more…

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19 February 2020

Holiday Here This Year update

Tourism Australia’s domestic campaign, Holiday Here This Year, continues to roll out and gather momentum with new television advertisements hitting the screens in regional Australia this week. This is in additon to the national radio ads that started airing last week and the extensive out of home advertising seen across the country. Industry and all states and territories are working with Tourism Australia to amplify the campaign in their own marketing. The campaign has reached over 9 million people on social media channels and the campaign page on Australia.com has been visited by more than 21,000 people. Get involved with the campaign by downloading the campaign toolkit here and joining Facebook event here.

Expanded working holiday maker visas

The working holiday visa program has been expanded to support bushfire-affected communities. Key changes include:

Extending the time a working holiday maker can work with the same employer from six months to 12 months for those assisting with bushfire recovery efforts.
The definition of “specified work” will be revised for the Work and Holiday Maker visa (462 visa), to ensure construction work in a disaster declared area is captured.
Paid and volunteer disaster recovery work in areas impacted in the recent bushfires will count towards the “specified work”.

Tourism Australia News

TOURISM AUSTRALIA PARTNERS WITH ADVENTURE TRAVEL TRADE ASSOCIATION

Tourism Australia recently partnered with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) on their AdventureConnect networking event at the New York Times Travel Show. One hundred and twenty travel advisors, tour operators and industry representatives received bushfire recovery messaging, which allowed Tourism Australia to dispel myths and share the news that Australia is open for business. Australia has received overwhelming support from the global adventure travel community and will be the host country to ATTA’s Adventure Travel World Summit 2020.

MAJOR UPGRADES TO KAKADU

Discover Aboriginal Experiences member, Kakadu Tourism is undergoing upgrades to major attractions, including the Warradjan Culture Centre and to the long-established accommodation base, Cooinda. Cooinda Lodge last year completed a full renovation of all its rooms and opened the Dreaming@HomeBillabong glamping village. Cooinda is in the heart of the Kakadu and conveniently located to the Nourlangie rock art site, and for tours to Maguk and Gunlom. The Warradjan Cultural Centre, which provides a full interactive narrative of Kakadu’s Indigenous history and culture, is expected to reopen by April.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA ACTIVITY IN CANADA

Tourism Australia held an event with Wine Australia, Austrade and the High Commissioner on 28 January in Toronto, Canada. Sixty travel trade guests, including tour operators, Aussie Specialists, and Premier agents were treated to an Australian wine tasting session and received an update on bushfire recovery efforts and the message that Australia is open for business. They also received an overview of Signature Experiences of Australia and Ultimate Winery Experiences of Australia. The evening continued with a treat of Australian inspired food for the guests.

Australian Stories

DAIRY FLAT FARM BY LAKE HOUSE DAYLESFORD WELCOMES FIRSTS GUESTS, VIC

The team behind Lake House Daylesford have raised the bar for immersive, experiential luxury with the opening of Dairy Flat Lodge and Farm. The new farm features a vineyard, a bakehouse, a private lodge and 38-picturesque-acres of orchard and garden which generates some of the finest produce in the region. Visitors can learn about the farm on a practical workshop, enjoy a wine tasting at the farm cellar door or spend the night on-site in the luxurious European-Style lodge. Set amid rolling hills in the regional Victorian town of Musk, The Dairy Flat farm is a short drive from Daylesford and approximately a one-and-a half-hour drive from Melbourne.

CANBERRA’S ENLIGHTEN FESTIVAL SET TO SHINE, ACT

Canberra will shine bright with culture and creativity as the Enlighten Festival brings together the cities best autumn events from 28 February to 15 March. Held over 17 days, guests can eat, see and explore a range of free and ticketed events. Don’t miss Enlightens signature event, Canberra Balloon Spectacular, which will see a kaleidoscope of colourful hot air balloons drift across the early morning sky from 7 to 15 March. With a vibrant line-up of events set to kick off next weekend, there’s no better time to visit. Canberra is a three-hour drive from Sydney, with frequent domestic and international flights daily.

FREE CULTURAL PERFORMANCES AT PERTH’S YAGAN SQUARE NYUMBI, WA

Perth locals and visitors alike will now be able to experience the world’s oldest living culture through music and dance every Friday evening at Yagan Square. Nyumbi, which means 'celebration dance', will offer a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about and immerse themselves in Noongar culture as Aboriginal dancers perform traditional song and dance and share stories of our rich culture and history. The free cultural performances will be held every Friday evening until 26 June from 5.30pm until 6.15pm at the Yagan Square Amphitheatre in the heart of Perth city.

MOGO WILDLIFE PARK SET TO REOPEN AND WELCOME VISITORS, NSW

The Mogo Wildlife Park is set to reopen to the public on 1 March thanks to the incredible efforts of ‘Zookeeper Chad’ and his team of keepers. Following the recent bushfires in the area, the 65-acre site with 200 animals, will continue to support an amazing collection of endangered animal species and offers intimate wildlife experiences to visiting guests. Mogo Wildlife Park is a 10-minute drive south of Batemans Bay, two-hours from Canberra or four-hours from Sydney.

Industry News Events

ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup commences on 21 February 2020 with Australia versus India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Be part of a World Record attempt on 8 March, International Women’s Day for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Global pop sensation, Katy Perry will be performing live at game. Get your tickets here.

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA 2020 – RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY

The 6th annual Destination Australia conference will be held on 12 March at Adelaide Oval and is bringing together an incredible line-up of experts to address the themes of resilience and recovery. Register now to secure your spot.

WORLD INDIGENOUS TOURISM SUMMIT – PROGRAM RELEASED

The World Indigenous Tourism Summit is being held at Crown Perth from 6 to 9 April 2020. The conference is set to feature an array of speakers from across the globe and will discuss the opportunities that exist for culturally authentic Indigenous tourism product, especially in the development, employment and training of Indigenous peoples. Register now to secure your spot.

NEWS IN BRIEF
Disaster assistance has been made available to help people and businesses heavily impacted by recent storms and flooding in 56 local government areas across NSW. Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Further information on disaster assistance is at www.disasterassist.gov.au and at www.emergency.nsw.gov.au.

The Government is partnering with Standards Australia to waive the fee for access to the bushfire construction standards, to support the recovery and rebuilding of bushfire ravaged communities. This jointly funded partnership will provide all Australians with access to a key building standard at no cost.

The Australia Council for the Arts has released a report, Domestic Arts Tourism: Connecting the Country, which shows that along with population growth and overall growth in domestic tourism, the numbers of Australians engaging with the arts while exploring their own country are growing.