| | | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | I hope that you are having a good start to the new year, during what is typically a busy time for so many in our industry. I know some businesses have been impacted by summer weather events, and our thoughts are with those affected by this latest set of challenges. I hope that your businesses are able to recover quickly from the disruption and effects of any cancellations. In recent weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to visit Cairns and Far North Queensland when I accompanied our Minister Don Farrell on a visit to the areas impacted by Cyclone Jasper in December. During the visit, the Minister reaffirmed the Australian Government’s support for the region, including a $5 million program to promote tourism in Far North Queensland announced prior to Christmas, and an additional $24 million announced by the Prime Minister of Australia on 10 January to help the tourism industry there recover. The Federal Government, including Tourism Australia, along with the State Government and Tourism Tropical North Queensland will continue to support businesses in this region as best we can. Last week saw the release of the ABS Overseas Arrivals data for November 2023. Pleasingly, the results showed that for the month of November international arrivals to Australia were at 81 per cent of 2019 levels and that visitors for holiday purposes have surpassed those visiting friends and relatives over the past 12 months. All of this is encouraging news as we head into 2024 – the year when we are on track to get back to, and exceed, 2019 levels. This means that this year is the year to focus on the long term sustainable growth for our industry, something which will be the key theme for our upcoming annual conference, Destination Australia 2024, to be held at ICC Sydney on Wednesday 13 March 2024. The program will include an excellent line-up of speakers and we look forward to sharing with you the latest topics, insights and trends that will help to shape our industry’s future success. For more details and to register click here. We also have our first industry webinar for the year coming up on Friday, 9 February 2024 at 11am AEDT. Included will be an update from Tourism Australia plus industry guests. To register click here. Phillipa Harrison | | |
| | | | | | Tourism Australia ACTIVITY | | | | | |  | | Virgin Australia social media campaign in Japan | | Earlier this month, Tourism Australia with Virgin Australia kicked off a social media campaign to promote Virgin Australia’s service between Tokyo and Cairns, which launched in June last year. The campaign promotes Cairns as an exciting holiday destination for Japanese consumers and aims to establish awareness of Virgin Australia, enhance travel sentiment to Australia and develop destination knowledge. Consumers who participate in the campaign with #ExploreCairnswithVirgin on Instagram or X will have a chance to win a trip to Cairns on Virgin Australia travelling between Tokyo and Cairns. Cairns is one of the most popular destinations for the outbound Japan market at the moment, with visitation recovered to 93 per cent of 2019 levels for the July-September quarter in 2023. | | |  | | Register for Destination Australia 2024 | | Registrations to attend the 2024 Destination Australia Conference are currently open. The conference themed ‘The next chapter for sustainable growth’, will be an opportunity for industry to come together and focus on the future of Australian tourism - in the year we hope we will exceed 2019 levels of visitation and spend. The full day conference, followed by a networking event will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney on Wednesday 13 March, if you haven’t already, please register to attend here. | | | | | | | |  | | Festival of Australian Aboriginal Cinema Paris | | Tourism Australia sponsored the 8th edition of the ‘Festival of Australian Aboriginal Cinema’ in Paris last December. On opening night, The New Boy, a movie featuring Cate Blanchett, that was shown at the 76th Festival de Cannes in France was screened. During the opening night, visitors received a greeting card with an integrated QR code leading to australia.com. The festival was big success, with special screening of the film “Sweet AS” by Jub Clerc, filmed in the Pilbara. The event also generated valuable media coverage in Le Figaro and Telerama. | | |  | | Australia Wins Best Destination (Asia/Pacific) at Travel Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards | | Recently Australia won Best Destination in Asia/Pacific at Travel Weekly’s 21st annual Readers’ Choice Awards, held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on December 13. Representing the best of the best in the travel industry, the nominees and award recipients were chosen in two rounds of voting by Travel Weekly’s audience of travel professionals. Up against Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and Tahiti, Australia won for the 5th year in a row. | | | | | | | | | |  | | New multimillion-dollar funding package to help Far North Queensland’s recovery | | Australia’s Federal and Queensland’s State Government are delivering further disaster assistance to help Far North Queensland continue its recovery following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper. The exceptional circumstances assistance is jointly-funded by the Albanese and Miles Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). Today’s announcement will further support local tourism, clean-up efforts and invest in specialised recovery staff including a $24.25 million Tourism Recovery and Resilience Program will develop a grants program for Far North operators who have been cut-off or heavily affected by the extreme weather. Find out more here. | | |  | | Vacayit Introduces Accessible Travel Hub on New Website | | Vacayit, a leader in accessible travel solutions, has announced the launch of its website, a valuable addition to its suite of accessibility-focused products. Going beyond audio guides the platform positions itself as a central hub for comprehensive accessible travel information. In line with Vacayit's commitment to inclusivity, the website caters to individuals seeking detailed accessibility information for their travel plans, offering expanded access to destination-specific audio guides. Key features include integration with the latest Vacayit Audio Player, ensuring a fully accessible experience with screen reader compatibility, intuitive hotkey control, and automated transcription. The website aims to be a go-to resource, collecting up-to-date accessibility information from tourism operators and Destination Tourism Organisations, providing users with a reliable platform for planning accessible trips. For more information, visit www.vacayit.com. | | | | | | | | | |  | | QT Hotels invite travellers to Get A Room with new campaign | | Ignite the Valentine’s Day spark with a significant other or treat yourself in a month-long celebration of love which ends in QT Hotels and Resorts giving guests the chance to Get A Room! QT Hotels & Resorts are providing an extra incentive to book a cheeky night away with the opportunity to win the contents of a QT guest room. Stay or give a QT Gift Card this February and win luxury of every proportion; from QT's famed robes, a Nespresso machine, even the QT Dream Bed. The Get A Room! promotion runs from now and throughout the entire month of February, across all QT Hotels & Resorts in Australia and New Zealand. One winner from each country will be selected to feel the love, and the furnishings, forever. Guests must stay between 1 and 29 February 2024 or purchase a QT Gift Card on qthotels.com and submit their booking confirmation or gift card order number on the Get A Room! landing page. Winners will be announced in early March. | | |  | | Vibrant Fitzroy welcomes another refurbished hotel with a twist | | Joining the list of accolades in Melbourne/Narrm’s north is the recently opened Gertrude Hotel, located along Fitzroy’s beloved Gertrude Street. Inspired by the Italians and a love for Aussie pub culture, Gertrude Hotel fuses these forces to create a modern venue oozing with familiarity, quality and wholesomeness. The euro allure is exemplified through venue design and menu hits. The pub classics such as a char-grilled scotch fillet, parma and bar snacks, are accompanied by a full Italian kitchen serving hand-stretched pizza, homemade pasta, and Melbourne’s best tiramisú. This ground floor level is diverse and can be tailored to all kinds of events, accommodating groups of 15 - 150 people. Moving upstairs, the spaces only grow. There are two private dining rooms and a large all-weather outdoor terrace, which is ideal for private events or long lunches | | | | | | | |  | | Lonely Planet declare Aussie beaches some the world’s best | | Lonely Planet's latest release, "Best Beaches," reveals a captivating collection of the world's most breathtaking and unexpected coastal gems including some of Australia’s most famous and loved destinations. Bell’s Beach, Cable Beach, Wineglass Bay, Squeaky Beach, Tangalooma Beach, Lucky Bay, Bondi Beach and Whitehaven Beach were all celebrated as some of the world’s best across multiple categories. Located only 25km from Brisbane/Meeanjin's shoreline on Moreton Island, Tangalooma Beach the World’s Best Beach to See Nature. Celebrating the achievement, Tangalooma Island Resort’s Head of Sales & Marketing Bernie O’Keefe said “protecting the magic” of the beach by preserving the natural environment ensured visitors extraordinary and unforgettable experiences. Beach lovers can purchase a copy of the book now. | | |  | | Margaret River to house decadent new eatery, de’sendent | | The former owners of successful winery restaurant Arimia Estate have opened bookings for de’sendent, a new culinary venture on the main street of Margaret River. The new 35-seat restaurant’s name signifies the cultivation of a new culinary chapter for business partners Ann Spencer and Executive Chef Evan Hayter, as well as treasured family ties. Described as the next incarnation of Arimia, but “distinctly different”, the approach will be seasonal, refined dining but “darker… more intimate”. de’sendent was born from the passion and vision behind Arimia Estate, which built a strong reputation for its unwavering dedication to growing and sourcing high-quality, local, organic produce from suppliers who cared deeply for the land. Located at the top of the popular Western Australian tourist town in a newly transformed space, de’sendent will open its doors on Thursday January 25th, 2024 and will be open for dinner Wednesday - Saturday. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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