Essentials… Aussie Specialist training in Asia | Connecting European Trade with Indigenous Art | New Head of Indigenous Affairs and more….

Having trouble reading? View online version 20 January 2021 TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE I hope you all had a chance to rest and spend some time with family and friends over the break. I know it wasn’t the end nor start to the year we had all hoped for, with lockdowns and border closures impacting many people’s travel plans. This was hard news to bear at the end of such a challenging 2020, and I know many tourism businesses were looking forward to closing out the year on a positive note. We do however continue to see strong intrastate travel numbers and we know that demand for travel experiences remains extremely high. As we enter the new year, Tourism Australia will continue to focus on building demand for domestic travel within the restrictions, and have some exciting projects coming up which I will share with you over the coming weeks. We will also be resuming our webinar program from 12 February, so stay tuned for more details.  Phillipa Harrison Tourism Australia appoints new Head of Indigenous Affairs Phil Lockyer, a proud Noongar man from Western Australia, joins Tourism Australia from IAG, the largest general insurance company in Australia and New Zealand. Phil has over 20 years of experience working across government, Indigenous community organisations, employment and corporate sectors, with a strong focus on creating meaningful opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, businesses and communities. Phil joins the Tourism Australia team in early February 2021.  Tourism Australia Activity Cross region Aussie Specialist training Tourism Australia has created its first ever pan-Asian webinar series for Aussie Specialist Agents in Malaysia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong. The webinars were conducted in Mandarin and Cantonese and focused on the theme of ‘Back to Nature: Australia’s Road Trips’. The sessions provided agents with information and tools to promote Australia’s nature offerings and regional travel. Over 400 agents across the four markets attended the sessions and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Connecting European Trade with Indigenous Art Before the holiday season, the Tourism Australia team in Continental Europe invited key distribution partners to join in an Indigenous art activity. In partnership with Maruku Arts over 60 participants from France, Italy and Germany experienced a live dot-painting session set in the stunning surrounds of Uluru and had the chance to learn more about the Discover Aboriginal Experiences program. With the help of an interpreter, the local artists gave insights and answered questions. It was great for partners to connect and share the love for Australia, as well as learn in an engaging way about the powerful storytelling of Aboriginal art. Tourism Industry News NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 The New South Wales (NSW) Government has released its ‘Visitor Economy Strategy 2030’ setting a target to triple 2009 overnight visitor expenditure in NSW by 2030, surpassing previous targets despite recent challenges. Specific NSW targets by 2030 include: $65 billion in total visitor expenditure $10 billion in domestic daytrips $55 billion in overnight visitor expenditure $25 billion in regional overnight visitor expenditure. Working Holiday Maker survey extended Austrade has extended its Working Holiday Maker survey deadline to 29 January 2021. The survey is designed to help the Federal Government understand how important Working Holiday Makers are for business viability and highlight the challenges in recruiting a regional workforce. If you have employed or tried to employ Working Holiday Makers recently, you are invited to take part in the survey by clicking on this link. Learn more about this project here or email WHMSurvey@flinders.edu.au. Australian Stories BakeClub’s Anneka Manning to host ultimate Tassie foodie trip Food author, editor and founder of BakeClub, Anneka Manning, has partnered with premium holiday expert, Insight Vacations, to create an exclusive nine-day guided tour of Tasmania’s top foodie destinations. The one-off departure in March 2021 is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a local escape, while partaking in tailored culinary experiences not typically available to the public. Guests will join workshops, visit sustainable farms, talk to artisan bakers, explore markets offering world-renowned produce and marvel at the exceptional food. Guests will also meet plenty of inspiring personalities along the way, including Friend of Australia and sustainable chef Analiese Gregory. Bookings can be made direct via the website or for trade looking to work with Insight Vacations contact them on 1800 001 783.  Gondwana Festival in World Heritage-listed Rainforest Located within the stunning Scenic Rim in Queensland, the Gondwana Festival is a month-long celebration of the region’s most precious and spectacular areas. The festival includes guided walks, talks and wild adventures from the base camps of Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and Mt Barney Lodge, and visits businesses and places most greatly impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires. Whether visitors are after a week-long wander through the forest alongside hatted-chef dining experiences, or a day hike to one of the many gorgeous waterfalls, they can celebrate and explore the extraordinary biodiversity of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest. For the full program visit the Gondwana Festival website. The Ultimate Perth Adventure – Climb Up and Zip Down! Perth’s newest tourism attraction, the Matagarup Bridge Climb, is set to open on 26 January with a new zip-line experience due to follow in March. Visitors can choose between a day, night or even a full moon climb, where they will climb their way up to the SkyView platform. SkyView is an open-air viewing platform 72-metres above the Swan River where guests will enjoy 360-degree views of the city. The zip-line experience will take visitors from the launch platform of Matagarup Bridge 400 metres across the Swan River to a safe landing platform in Burswood Park. Bookings can be made on the website.  CoastXP’s Caves Coastal Hike near Lake Macquarie Discover the rich biodiversity and rugged coastline of Lake Macquarie on CoastXP’s Caves Coastal Hike. Begin at Caves Beach before heading off on a relaxed guided coastal hike through the Wallarah National Park. The two-hour, 8.5 kilometre hike focuses on Aboriginal Heritage, local geology, coastal history as well as the flora and fauna native to the park. With an emphasis on respecting and conserving the local coastal environment, the Caves Coastal Hike will operate over the warmer months of the year and bookings can be made through the CoastXP website.  NEWS IN BRIEF Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out plan Guidelines released for round 5 of the Building Better Regions Fund Chief Medical Officer says international border closures to remain in place National Cabinet Statement from 8 January 2021 National Visitor Survey results September 2020 New measures for returning to Australia NSW records zero new cases for the third consecutive day Victoria eases border restrictions for Greater Sydney and Brisbane tourism.australia.com Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Contact Us This email was sent to latestnews401.travel@blogger.com To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add usto your address book or safe list. Unsubscribe or manage subscriptions Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.