 | | Tourism Australia ACTIVITY | | | | |  | | Register for Tourism Australia’s July Industry Webinar | | Tourism Australia’s July Industry Webinar will take place on Friday 12 July at 11am AEST. This month along with our regular update from Tourism Australia’s Managing Director Phillipa Harrison, Chris Saines CNZM, Director, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) will join the session to discuss cultural tourism. Additionally, as we celebrate NAIDOC Week across the country, Cameron Costello a proud Quandamooka man from Moreton Bay, Brisbane / Meanjin, and a passionate advocate of Indigenous Culture, Arts and Tourism will talk about his love of culture and Country, being Blak, Loud and Proud, and how industry can make a positive impact in Indigenous communities and beyond. Register to attend the webinar here. | | | | | | |  | | Business Events Australia seminar kicks off in Kuala Lumpur | | Last week, Tourism Australia’s Business Events Australia Seminar kicked off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The seminar was designed to engage the local MICE industry with the latest developments and why there is nothing like Australia for business events. The event was also attended by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, who gave visa updates to the Malaysian trade. Joining the hybrid seminar were partners Singapore Airlines, Business Events Perth, Melbourne Convention Bureau, Business Events Sydney, Destination Gold Coast, Brisbane Economic Development Agency and Business Events Adelaide. With a full turnout of over 75 attendees, the event featured interactive Q&A sessions between the delegates and partners, as well as a culinary showcase of local and Australian produce at a grazing table with Victoria-inspired coffee art. | | |  | | Singapore’s Aussie Specialists take part in an immersive workshop | | Earlier this month in Singapore, Tourism Australia invited local Aussie Specialist Program agents to a ‘Glimpse of Australia’ workshop. The event was held at the iconic green hotel, Parkroyal Collection Pickering. More than 70 Aussie Specialists Program agents from over 35 travel agencies joined the two half-day sessions. Attendees enjoyed a variety of Australia themed experiences including wine tasting with a sommelier, reed diffuser-mixing with unique scents from Down Under, and an interactive holographic photobooth featuring beautiful Australia scenery as backdrops. The workshop participants were also provided an update about the Aussie Specialist Program, aimed at connecting new and veteran Aussie Specialists, as well as a series of product updates from Australia’s states and territory tourism organisations. | | | | | | | |  | | Australia awarded for Highest Client Satisfaction at TravelAge West’s Wave Awards | | Australia was awarded ‘Destination with the Highest Client Satisfaction, Pacific’ at the annual TravelAge West Wave Awards this month at the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey, California. It was Australia’s third consecutive year winning the category, Tourism Australia’s North America Aussie Specialist Program team members accepted the award on behalf of Team Australia. Wave Award winners were celebrated at the black-tie gala which brought together honorees and travel advisors to recognise the outstanding qualities and services of the industry’s leading travel suppliers and destinations. Find the full list of winners here. | | |  | | UK hosts B2B Luxury Getaway event | | The Tourism Australia London team recently hosted 16 luxury buyers and 16 carefully selected sellers of Australian luxury product at its annual B2B Luxury Getaway event, held at Oakley Court Hotel near Windsor. The event consisted of two days of one-to-one meetings during which buyers learned about product that their high net worth clientele could consider on an Australian holiday, as well as networking activities to foster lasting business relationships, including a tasting of Australian wine by a Master of Wine. | | | | | | | | | |  | | March International Visitor Survey released | | Tourism Research Australia today released the March International Visitor Survey (IVS) with Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell announcing the release. The IVS results provide statistics on how international visitors travel within Australia. The report shows there is more good news for Australian tourism businesses and the hundreds of thousands of people it employs, with new data indicating international tourism is climbing back to pre-pandemic levels, with more international visitors returning to our shores, staying for longer and spending more. The National Visitor Survey results which provide statistics on how Australian residents travel within Australia were also released today. | | |  | | CABNs commitment to making eco-travel accessible for everyone | | South Australian off grid sustainable accommodation, CABN ensures guests of all abilities can enjoy the beauty of Australia's natural landscapes through its accessibility initiative. CABN have designed accommodation with inclusivity in mind, featuring facilities that cater to diverse needs without compromise. The Barossa Valley location offers an all-abilities CABN nestled amidst the region's famous vineyards. These CABN CANVS are equipped with wheelchair access, spacious interiors, and accessible bathrooms, allowing guests to indulge in unique accommodation. For anyone seeking a nature escape on Kangaroo Island, the accessible CABN X provides the perfect retreat. Designed with accessible entrances and bathrooms, CABN X accommodation ensures that everyone can experience CABN Kangaroo Island. CABN is dedicated to offering off grid, sustainable travel experiences that are accessible to everyone, promoting inclusivity and comfort in nature. | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | Plate it Forward launches Mum Cha series | | Plate It Forward Hospitality Group’s Colombo Social in Sydney / Warrane’s suburb of Enmore has announced a new monthly long-lunch series, Mum Cha. Held on the last Saturday of every month, the ticketed event invites Plate it Forward Founder and CEO, Shaun Christie-David, and his mother Shiranie to cook a 10-course meal alongside Australian personalities and their mothers. The inaugural series will kick off on Saturday, 29 June with Dan Hong (Executive Chef behind Sydney’s Mr. Wong, Ms. G’s, and MuMu) and his mother Angie Hong. Mum Cha will come to life as a monthly celebration, dedicated to the incredible women and mothers that inspire others around them. Each collaborative menu will represent a fusion of cultures and dishes, that both mothers want to share with the community, in an intimate setting. | | |  | | New members join Australian Wildlife Journeys | | Sydney Bespoke Tours and Perth Wildlife Encounters are the latest additions to the Australian Wildlife Journeys collective. The Sydney Wildlife Safari transports guests to the Southern Highlands to observe Australia's most iconic species from day to night. Travelling in groups of up to eight, the experience combines walks through national parks and drives through pristine farmland to spot species in the wild. Following a platypus spotting session and dinner at Australia's oldest continuously licensed Inn, guides lead a spotlighting experience to see nocturnal species. Across the continent is Perth Wildlife Encounters, which has been offering the opportunity to swim with wild Bottlenose Dolphins since 1989. Guests can choose immersive marine activities such as Swim with Wild Dolphins or the 3 Islands Wildlife Snorkel which includes swimming with Australian Sea-lions. Alternatively, the Dolphin, Sea lion and Penguin Island Cruise combines a relaxing glass-bottom wildlife cruise and guided wildlife walk on Penguin Island. | | | | | | | |  | | Shane Delia Announces Diego Huerta as new Executive Chef of Maha | | Middle Eastern eatery Maha in Melbourne / Naarm’s CBD has announced the appointment of award-winning chef Diego Huerta (Lûmé, Geranium Copenhagen) as its Executive Chef. Diego brings a wealth of experience and culinary insight with him and is excited to continue the restaurant's legacy whilst pushing boundaries within the dining experience. Originally from Puerto Vallarta, a coastal town in Mexico, Diego has worked as a chef at some of the world’s most exciting Michelin-starred restaurants including Geranium in Copenhagen, Pavillio Ledoyen in Paris, Relais Louis Xlll in Paris, and more recently the former two-hatted restaurant Lûmé in South Melbourne. The reimagined tasting menu directed by Diego is now making the rounds at Maha at $175pp with an exciting lineup of dishes. Diners can expect the likes of Lebanese garlic dumplings; Bowen coral trout; Maha’s signature lamb shoulder; and to finish, an Arabic coffee and cinnamon mousse with chocolate, olive oil and salted caramel. | | |  | | Tickets now live for the Inaugural Esperance Hiking Festival | | Explore the natural wonders of Esperance at the inaugural Esperance Hiking Festival, GROUNDED. Taking place from 20 to 22 September a spotlight will be on Esperance's hiking trails, inviting you to explore the diverse tracks that wind through the captivating landscapes of Cape Le Grand National Park. The Hike Collective, a national award-winning hiking tour specialist, has curated five hiking tours for the festival, each dedicated to one of the classical elements: Water, Fire, Space, Earth, and Air. A partnership with local mental health service provider, headspace Esperance will receive $10 from every Hike Collective tour sold. Immerse yourself in the profound beauty and elements of experience by booking a hike here. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
