Traveling Blog: Essentials this week… Destination Australia Conference | Funding Boost to lure more Indian Tourists | ATE coronavirus update

Having trouble reading? View online version

4 March 2020

Destination Australia Conference kicks off next week

Tourism Australia’s annual conference Destination Australia will take place at the Adelaide Oval next Thursday 12 March. Held for the first time in Adelaide, the Conference will bring together more than 300 tourism industry experts and operators to discuss the themes of resilience and recovery in the wake of Australia’s bushfires and the global coronavirus. Destination Australia features an incredible line-up of speakers who will provide guidance, support and inspiration to Australian tourism businesses during this challenging time. Speakers will share their insights on topics such as ‘marketing throughout a crisis’, ‘rebuilding trust’,’ the cost of recovery’ and ‘sustainable tourism’. Australia’s Tourism Minister, Simon Birmingham, will open the Conference. Haven’t got your ticket? It’s not too late. See the full program here and register to attend here.

Funding boost to lure more Indian tourists to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

During a visit to India last week, Australia’s Tourism Minister, Simon Birmingham, announced a funding boost of $1 million dollars to Tourism Australia to further ramp up its marketing efforts to lure more Indian tourists to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia between 18 October to 15 November this year. The Women’s final is on this Sunday 8 March at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to coincide with International Women’s Day. Get your tickets here.

Tourism Australia News AND EVENTS

ATE20: CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE

At this stage, Tourism Australia is satisfied that ATE20 in Melbourne can be delivered safely for all those taking part and is on track to deliver an outstanding event in May. Tourism Australia is following the best public health advice from the World Health Organisation and Australia’s Department of Health. The health and welfare of anyone attending any of our events is paramount. Full risk assessments are carried out for all Tourism Australia events including ATE20. Tourism Australia will continue to monitor the situation and will put in place additional health and safety measures where required. All registered delegates will be kept fully up-to-date on any developments particularly as these may impact future travel plans. The latest advice from Australia’s Chief Medical Officer on the coronavirus can be found here.

INVITATION TO US TRAVEL ADVISORS TO EXPERIENCE AUSTRALIA'S PREMIUM OFFERINGS

This month, Tourism Australia took part in a Luxperience pre-familiarisation workshop. Tourism Australia extended an invitation Down Under to high-value generating travel advisors from the United States to attend Luxperience in Sydney in October 2020. At the workshop, advisors were reassured that despite the bushfires and global coronavirus outbreak, Australia is open for business and is still a highly desirable travel destination for luxury-seeking clients from the United States. Luxperience is a global business exchange, connecting the most innovative premium travel experts who seek and deliver unique and luxury travel experiences. For more information and to book your ticket visit here.

AUSTRALIA SCOOPS TWO BIG WINS IN CHINA’S PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL TOURISM FASHION AWARDS

On 28 February, Australia took home two prizes in China’s 15th National Tourism Fashion Awards: one of the most authoritative accolades for China’s fashion industry. At the ceremony, Australia was awarded Top 10 Family Travel Destination and Best MICE Recommended Destination. These are the first tourism awards Australia has received in China in 2020.

CONNECT WITH TOURISM OPERATORS IN THE UNITED STATES

Applications are now open for seller participation at ‘Australia Marketplace North America 2020’, to be held in Los Angeles, from 3 to 6 August 2020. The event is an opportunity for representatives from the Australian tourism industry to establish business relationships with key qualified travel agencies, wholesalers and tour operators from North America. It includes three days of pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and sellers as well as evening networking opportunities. To apply, please visit the event website. Applications close Friday 27 March.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW COUNTRY MANAGER JAPAN

Tourism Australia has announced the appointment of Mr Derek Baines to the role of Country Manager, Japan. Mr Baines will take up the role, based in Tourism Australia’s Tokyo office, in April 2020. With a strong commercial background in aviation and tourism, Mr Baines brings more than 20 years of experience to the role. He was previously with Qantas Airways, where he was most recently employed as Senior Manager, Qantas Business Rewards. Prior to this, he held numerous roles with the global airline, including responsibility for marketing and route development in Japan.

Australian Stories

ENJOY MORE FOOD AND HOSPITALITY ON QUEENSLAND’S EXTENDED SCENIC RIM TRAIL

Great Walks of Australia has this month announced a new five-day and seven-day version of the Scenic Rim Trail, set to launch in April 2020. Due to the popularity of the existing two-day walk, the new tours enable walkers to see and do more while still enjoying the incredible standard of food and hospitality for which the walk is renowned. Highlights of the extended walks include access to a koala and wildlife sanctuary, the ancient UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests and the Scenic Rim’s awe-inspiring volcanic plateaus along the Great Diving Range. Located just 1.5 hours from Brisbane, the new walks are extremely accessible and can be booked here.

CELEBRATE THE WORLD OF MUSIC, ARTS AND DANCE: IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET TICKETS TO WOMADELAIDE

Tickets are still available for WOMADelaide, South Australia’s iconic open-air festival which celebrates the world of music, arts and dance and runs from 6 to 9 March 2020. The festival will take place across eight outdoor stages in Adelaide’s Botanic Park this weekend, where 500 international artists will take the stage, attracting up to 20,000 people each day. Visitors can expect an exciting three-day program of music performances, cultural workshops and visual art activities at one of Australia’s most colourful festivals. For more information or to book your tickets visit the WOMADelaide site here.

NATIONAL SPORTS MUSEUM RELAUNCHES WITH MORE THAN JUST A NEW NAME

The National Sports Museum, home of Australia’s largest collection of sporting memorabilia, has been renamed the Australian Sports Museum following a $17 million upgrade. With a focus on cutting edge technology and immersive experiences, the Australian Sports Museum will bring Australia’s rich sporting history to life in a fun and playful way. Visitors are encouraged to explore all facets of Australian sporting culture via touch screens, avatars, climbable objects and sporting challenges. Located within Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian Sports Museum is now open and available for short tours or walk-ins. For more information visit the Museum’s website here.

QANTAS TO RESUME FLIGHTS FROM SYDNEY TO BALLINA

Due to an increasing demand from tourists wanting to visit Byron Bay, Qantas is set to relaunch its flights from Ballina to Sydney from 29 March. For the first time in 15 years, a daily return flight will recommence from the Northern Rivers, with 36,000 seats on the route available per year. The flight will depart from Ballina Byron Gateway Airport in the morning and return from Sydney Airport in the evening, providing direct access to the popular coastal destination, Byron Bay. Flight options can be viewed and booked online now at www.qantas.com.

Industry News AND Events

INBOUNDER: A NEW VOICE FOR AUSTRALIA’S EXPORT TOURISM INDUSTRY

The Australian Tourism Export Council has announced the launch of a new communication channel for the inbound tourism industry. 'Inbounder' seeks to be the Australian inbound tourism industry’s platform for communication, thought leadership, destination marketing, product innovation, ideas and inspiration. In light of the multiple impacts affecting the industry already this year, a special “Recovery” edition of Inbounder will mark the pre-launch of this free publication to be released on 10 March. To receive a copy, register your details here.

KANGAROO ISLAND KOALAS AND KANGAROOS SPOTTED ROAMING LONDON

SeaLink Travel Group is using its new global footprint to encourage international tourists back to South Australia’s Kangaroo Island and to Australia, unveiling SeaLink owned buses carrying our unique and friendly wildlife. Rolling out across London, the campaign carries a clear message, ‘Kangaroo Island – we’re open for business’ and uses Kangaroo Island’s unique wildlife as a personal invite to come Down Under and meet all the friendly locals.

TOURISM INDUSTRY COUNCIL TASMANIA (TICT) NATIONAL OUTLOOK LUNCH

TICT’s national outlook luncheon was attended by about 120 members of the local Tasmanian industry on 19 February 2020. Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, and the Australian Tourism Industry Council’s Executive Director, Simon Westaway, both addressed industry. It was the first function held in the newly opened Spring Bay Mill in Triabunna, Tasmania which hopes to attract more business and corporate events to the region.

GOLD COAST'S PARADISE RESORT RE-LAUNCHES WITH MAJOR CHARITY EVENT AND A $12 MILLION NEW VISION

Paradise Resort Gold Coast, re-launched over the weekend, with new owner, Dr Jerry Schwartz, pledging $12 million towards a major upgrade and revitalisation. To celebrate the landmark, a charity event was held at the resort, with over 20 charities invited to use the rooms to raise funds for their individual organisations.

VALE JAMES KWAN

Tragically, the coronavirus claimed the life of its first Australian victim on 1 March 2020. James Kwan died after arriving in Western Australia from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. James was well-known to the tourism industry, having founded one of Perth’s first inbound tour companies, Wel-Travel, in 1988, before handing it on in recent years to his son Edwin. Tourism Australia extends its condolences and deepest sympathies to James’ family.

NEWS IN BRIEF
A dedicated showreel highlighting Queensland’s diverse range of Indigenous experiences and events has been launched. Tourism businesses can access information about the support available to develop and promote Indigenous tourism experiences in this new industry brochure.

Facebook Australia is offering bushfire recovery support to small businesses that have been affected during this difficult time. Initiatives include free face-to-face workshops in regional areas across the country, Facebook Business Page coaching and advice and advertising coupons to use on Facebook ads. Apply here.

Western Sydney Parklands Trust is seeking to attract investment for high quality and sustainable tourism attractions that will encourage visitors to stay longer in the Western Sydney Region and complement the large array of existing commercial and recreational facilities in the Parklands. Expressions of interest can be submitted here.

Northern Territory Tourism Chief Executive, Simonne Shepherd, has announced she will be stepping down from her role as CEO on 20 March 2020 with Andrew Hopper initially acting in the role of Chief Executive Officer.

A Royal Commission has been established to examine how Australia is prepared and coordinated to respond to bushfires and other natural disasters. The Commission will soon invite public submissions to draw on what many Australians experienced during the 2019-20 bushfire season.

Australia’s first Wellness Tourism Summit is taking place on March 19 & 20 in Noosa. Over 30 leading global and local wellness travel experts will be presenting at the Summit on the latest research, consumer trends and best practice for operators and destinations in this space. For the full Summit program click here.