| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | This week there is more positivity in the air with the COVID-19 vaccine starting to roll out, COVID-19 restrictions continuing to ease and the majority of interstate borders opening up again. I am hopeful the vaccine roll out will be the first step towards achieving a more stable environment for Australia’s tourism industry, and one which will allow interstate borders to remain open and provide a boost to consumer travel confidence. It was great to see the Federal Government announce an Indigenous Tourism Fund last Friday. Indigenous tourism is so crucial to Australia’s tourism offering and a sector that has so much potential for our industry. Read more below. Our Destination Australia Conference is now just over a week away and registrations for in-person attendance will close next Monday 1 March 2021. So, make sure you register now if you haven’t already. We have also opened registration for our Cairns industry briefing on 17 March 2021, more details on this below. This week, we are hosting our Business Events Australia South-South East Asia Showcase where 48 of Australia’s leading sellers are networking and doing business with 60 South-South East Asian incentive planners. Phillipa Harrison | | | | | | | |  | |
| $40 million Indigenous Tourism Fund to assist recovery | | Last week, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP and Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. Ken Wyatt MP, announced a new $40 million Indigenous Tourism Fund. The fund provides support for Indigenous tourism through a comprehensive package of business support and grants. With Indigenous tourism businesses hit hard by the combined impact of bushfires and COVID-19 the Indigenous Tourism Fund was developed in consultation with the Indigenous tourism sector and includes business support and grants for Indigenous-owned tourism businesses. The fund will deliver complementary programs to grow the size and number of Indigenous owned tourism businesses across Australia. Find out more here. | | | | | | | | Tourism Australia Activity | |
| | | | |  | | Working Holiday Maker survey | | Tourism Australia is surveying current and previous working holiday makers to help capture insights about their experiences during their Australian working holiday. These learnings will be compiled to help promote working holidays to a new generation of young travellers via platforms such as Australia.com. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here. | | |  | | Cairns industry briefing and networking function | | Tourism Australia is hosting an industry briefing in Cairns from 3pm to 5pm on Wednesday 17 March 2021 at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino. Speakers from Tourism Australia will be joined by speakers from Tourism and Events Queensland and Tourism Tropical North Queensland. The event is free of charge and open for tourism operators in the Tropical North Queensland region to attend. The briefing will be followed by networking drinks from 5pm to 6:30pm. Register here. | | |
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| | | | | | |  | | WeChat Mini Program launched to Chinese event planners | | Tourism Australia has launched its first WeChat Mini Program specifically dedicated to raising awareness and preference for Australia as a business events destination amongst event planners in Greater China. The program, led by Tourism Australia’s dedicated business events unit, Business Events Australia, builds on the organisation’s existing digital presence in China including its WeChat channel and dedicated Chinese website. | | |  | | ‘Open for Business’ bushfire recovery video Southern Highlands | | The fourth of the ‘Open for Business’ video series in partnership with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency (NBRA) was released this week. This video features the Southern Highlands in New South Wales and can be viewed here. The series is a collaboration between the NBRA and Tourism Australia and illustrates the recovery of communities impacted by the 2019/20 summer bushfires. A total of 15 videos will be released over the coming weeks, sharing stories from bushfire affected regions across Australia. | | |
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| | | | |  | | Indonesia launches Aussie Specialist Playtime series | | More than 100 Indonesian travel agents participated in the first session of the new Aussie Specialist Playtime series. The series creates a fun learning environment through interactive games to enhance Aussie Specialists’ destination knowledge. In the first session, Saretta Fielding from Saretta Art & Design conducted an Aboriginal dot painting class where agents learnt the story and significance of Aboriginal art. Each session will include a ‘pitching’ segment where agents use their Australian destination knowledge to practice their sales skills. The Playtime series will run from February to April, with the participation of all eight State and Territory Tourism Organisations. | | |  | | Applications open for the Australian Tourism Exchange 2021 | | This year’s Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) is planned to take place ‘live’ in Sydney and online, in June 2021. Tourism Australia is planning a hybrid event that brings together in-person and virtual events to connect the Australian tourism industry with international and domestic travel buyers. ATE Live is scheduled for 6 to 9 June 2021 and will be followed by ATE Online from 10 to 17 June. To learn more, visit the ATE website. Applications close 19 March 2021. | | |
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| | | | | | | | |  | | Mental health support for tourism industry small business owners | | Ahead for Business is a program to support the mental health and wellbeing of small business owners. The free digital hub provides access to a variety of resources such as business and mental health and wellbeing articles, videos, podcasts and self-assessment tools. Visit the tourism communities page to find out about resources specifically for small business owners in the tourism industry. These include free online wellbeing workshops on mental health and wellbeing for businesses; online focus groups for business owners to share insights and feedback; and the ability to share stories, knowledge, experience and tips to help support other small business owners in the industry. | | |  | | Field Trip with Curtis Stone premieres on Foxtel | | Supported by Tourism Australia, Aussie chef and restaurateur Curtis Stone’s six-part series ‘Field Trip with Curtis Stone’ follows Curtis and his team from his Los Angeles restaurant, Maude. The team travel the world seeking inspiration for the regional tasting menus at the Michelin-starred restaurant. Each 30-minute episode showcases the journey to one specific region, highlighting the artisans, farmers, wine producers and topography of the area, while offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how the team conduct research for Maude's menu and award-winning wine program. The first series visits Western Australia’s Margaret River and the Kimberley. Tune into Foxtel’s LifeStyle FOOD channel to watch. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | El Questro & Kings Canyon back in Aussie hands | | Iconic Australian tourism assets El Questro in Western Australia and Kings Canyon Resort in the Northern Territory are back in Australian hands, with the G’day Group purchasing the properties from global hospitality company Delaware North. With El Questro and Kings Canyon traditionally reliant upon international visitors, the move shows confidence in a strong rebound for inbound tourism once borders reopen. G’day Group has upgrades planned for each property, particularly King Canyon Resort, with collective upgrades anticipated to total $22 million, creating 272 regional Australian jobs during construction. | | |
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| | | | | | | | |  | | Melbourne Food & Wine Festival announces 2021 calendar of events | | The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (MFWF) returns this year with the announcement of a blockbuster 2021 calendar of events across the city and regional Victoria in March. The expanded program hosts three major festivals, kicking off with The March Edition (12 to 31 March), featuring more than 50 events in partnership with Melbourne’s restaurants, bars and cafes. The Bank of Melbourne’s World’s Longest Lunch, will return and bring together three of Melbourne’s culinary masters – Stephanie Alexander, Philippe Mouchel and Jacques Reymond. New inclusions to the program include the inaugural World’s Longest Brunch. Tickets for the 2021 MFWF are on sale now via the website. | | |  | | The design of the Australian Underwater Discovery Centre in WA has been unveiled | | The spectacular design of the Australian Underwater Discovery Centre has been unveiled. The whale-shaped building will be partially submerged underwater, two kilometres out to sea at the end of the Busselton Jetty in Geographe Bay, two-hours drive southwest from Perth. The centre is set to become Australia’s largest natural marine observatory, a catalyst to entice international tourists back to Western Australia. The centre will capitalise on its unique marine environment, becoming a global marine research hub alongside a key visitor attraction. The new Marine Parks Discovery Zone will be committed to improving awareness, understanding and support for Australia’s marine parks. Construction will begin in 2021, with the centre open by December 2022. For more information, visit the website. | | |
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| | | | |  | | Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia welcomes Printhie Wines | | Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia (UWEA) has announced a new addition to the collective; family owned Printhie Wines in Orange, NSW. Printhie Wines joins a collection of premium Australian wineries offering guests the chance to go beyond the cellar door to discover characteristics unique to each winery. Experiences will include the Printhie Picnic, where guests can enjoy a guided tasting and picnic hamper amongst the vines, or the historic apple orchard. Guests can also participate in the Sparkling Masterclass which offers a guided tour of the cellar door vineyard and a private tasting of their Swift Sparkling range. The newest experience, Winemakers at Work, allows guests to experience a rare behind the scenes tour of a working winery in action. For more information and to book one of the experiences on offer visit UWEA’s website. | | |  | | Sydney Opera House lights up favourite moments on the sails | | To celebrate the reopening and re-emergence of Australia’s cultural sector, the Sydney Opera House has invited Australians to share their favourite memories and inspiring moments from beneath the sails, as part of a new campaign, Where Memories Are Made. The sails of the harbour’s iconic venue will be illuminated this Thursday 25 February for a one-night-only commemoration of the countless memories and stories Aussies have shared through the campaign’s hashtag #MySydneyOperaHouse. Capturing the magic of Bennelong Point, whether a special celebration, an incredible show, a surprise celebrity meeting, community occasion, a fond memory or something behind-the-scenes, images will light the sails between 8:45pm to 11pm. Tune into the livestream from home, or make your way down to Circular Quay to watch it in person. | | |
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