Essentials this week… | Business Events in the US | Industry briefings in Cairns and Darwin | Australia on air in France | Awards in India and China | and more…

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02 May 2018     Growing Australia's business events Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, visited the United States last week to advance opportunities for Australia as part of the ongoing G’Day USA program. During his visit Minister Ciobo promoted Australia to key business events decision makers and media at a dinner which showed Australia’s creative event delivery capabilities and world-class wines. The USA is an important business events market for Australia, with 135,000 business events arrivals generating $814 million in expenditure in 2017. In March, Minister Ciobo launched the $12 million Boosting Business Events Bid Fund Program to help secure more international incentive, exhibition and association events for Australia. Applications for the bid fund opened this week.     02 May 2018     Industry briefings in Cairns and Darwin On Wednesday 9 May Tourism Australia is presenting at the TEQ Conversations with Industry event at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns. On Wednesday 16 May Tourism Australia and Tourism NT will co-host an NT industry briefing at the Oaks Elan Darwin. Both events are free-of-charge to industry.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA NEWS  Australia on air in France Radio Nova, a popular French station with more than 500,000 listeners per day, broadcast live destination updates from Australia from 16-22 April. The special broadcasts featured a range of Australian destinations including Adelaide, South Australian wine regions, Kangaroo Island, Uluru, Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu and Melbourne. Tour operator Cercle des Vacances led the promotion and also offered listeners a 100 euro discount per person on a trip Down Under. The activity was supported by Tourism Australia, the South Australian Tourism Commission, Tourism NT and Qantas. (Photo: Visit Victoria). Tourism Australia wins marketing excellence award in India Tourism Australia’s marketing activities in India were recognised at the Times Travel Awards 2018 in Delhi last month winning the ‘Excellence in Marketing Initiative – International Tourism Board’ award. The winners were selected on work done over the last two years and recognise both consumer marketing as well as support for the distribution network. Some of the key activities highlighted included the appointment of leading Bollywood celebrity Parineeti Chopra as a Friend of Australia, content integrations on top-rated TV shows and the launch of the Airline Market Place that featured eight airlines offering competitive fares to customers. Chinese travellers vote Australia in ‘Top 10 Destinations’ Australia was in the Top 10 Destinations at the 2018 ShanghaiWow Hotel and Travel Forum and Award Ceremony in Shanghai last week. ShanghaiWow is a WeChat account with over five million followers that introduces destinations and experiences to readers. It is the first year for the awards which combine the world's best destinations and experiences for discerning international Chinese travellers.

AUSTRALIAN STORIES  A Taste of Kakadu returns from 18 to 27 May Serving up a menu of ancient cuisine with a modern twist, this year’s Taste of Kakadu festival will see the region’s best Indigenous chefs showcasing their culinary creations at remarkable locations, all celebrating the traditional culture and breathtaking scenery of Kakadu National Park. Over ten days, visitors can forage for Kakadu plums on guided walks, dine on crocodile, fish and buffalo cooked in spectacular ground ovens, and glide along the famed barramundi-filled rivers while enjoying bush food-inspired canapes. Major revamp for accommodation on Rottnest Island WA Perth’s iconic Rottnest Island is undergoing a boost to its accommodation offerings with a number of new developments. A redevelopment of Hotel Rottnest, which overlooks the island’s Thomson Bay, will see it double in size add 80 rooms and include four pools, a restaurant, function rooms, gym and rooftop bar. Construction has also officially started on the $20 million luxury glamping resort at Pinky’s Beach, which will feature 83 eco-tents with ensuite pods connected via elevated walkways to the Pinky’s Beach Club. Fitzroy Island Resort in Queensland to expand Fitzroy Island Resort in Tropical North Queensland will undergo a $2.5 million refurbishment over the next 12 months to expand its Great Barrier Reef experiences including new diving and sunset cruises. Rainforest-clad Fitzroy Island is just a 45-minute boat ride from the centre of Cairns. The first offshore nursery at Fitzroy Island has also received a funding boost of $20,000 from Japan’s largest travel agency JTB. Darwin Central Hotel to rebrand as Rydges EVENT Hospitality and Entertainment will take over Darwin Central Hotel under the Rydges Hotel brand on 1 July. Located in the heart of Darwin city, the 132-room hotel provides facilities for both leisure and business travellers to explore the capital of the Northern Territory.

INDUSTRY NEWS AND EVENTS  Steve Irwin star on Hollywood Walk of Fame Australian legend Steve Irwin was awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles last week for his extraordinary contribution to the entertainment industry through his wildlife documentaries. Friends of Australia Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin were in Hollywood at the unveiling along with some of their closest friends and family. Tourism Events Queensland, Visit Sunshine Coast and Australia Zoo have partnered with North American travel agency Goway Travel to launch a trade and retail campaign in North America to coincide with the Steve Irwin star accolade. Tourism Australia is currently running a $36 million Dundee-inspired campaign in the North American market. UK High Commissioner thanked by Tourism Australia Tourism Australia presented outgoing Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, The Hon Alexander Downer AC, with an iconic Aussie surfboard last week. Denise von Wald, Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager for the UK and Northern Europe, thanked the High Commissioner for his involvement in key UK campaigns including Restaurant Australia and Sir David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef documentary screening. Ms von Wald said the Commissioner’s diplomatic support and advocacy had helped Australia achieve the highest number of visits in nearly a decade with more than 730,000 UK visitors to Australia in 2017.

NEWS IN BRIEF    Tourism Australia wishes to extend sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Tourism Training Australia CEO, William ‘Bill’ Galvin OAM. Applications are open until Friday 6 July for Tourism Australia’s Advance Program to increase international visitation to confirmed business events being held in Australia. Nominations are open for tourism awards in New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland,  Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Registration is open for ATEC Meeting Place 2018 which will take place from 19-21 November in Darwin. Nominations are now open for the Queensland Young Tourism Leaders program. Tourism and Events Queensland has appointed Mandy Veale as Trade and Marketing Manager for New Zealand. Travel Link Marketing has been appointed to promote the Northern Territory in Greater China. Tracey Cinavas-Prosser has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Destination Perth regional tourism organisation from 1 July. Infinitus China – one of China’s largest personal health care companies – is bringing 7000 of its top performers to the Gold Coast for its overseas incentive program this month. Registration is open until Tuesday 15 May for the South Australia Industry Council’s SA Inspired Tourism Conference to be held on 29-30 May at the Hilton Adelaide. Registration is open for the VIC Tourism Conference to be held on 30-31 July at the RACV Cape Schanck Resort. Applications are open until Wednesday 30 May for the Queensland Destination Events Program.     Registration is open for Destination Food, Australia's first culinary tourism conference to be held at the Museum of Sydney on Monday 21 May. Tourism Whitsundays is hosting workshops with 21 Whitsunday operators in Brisbane on Tuesday 15 May, Melbourne on Wednesday 16 May and Sydney on Thursday 17 May. Expressions of interests are being sought from potential delegates, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors for the Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference to be held from Tuesday 30 October to Friday 2 November in Lorne, Victoria. Applications are open until Friday 11 May for ATEC's 2018 Emerging Leaders of Inbound Tourism Excellence (ELITE) program. Registration is open for the City of Perth’s 2018 Perth Tourism Industry Exchange on Thursday 24 May at the Perth Arena. Applications are open until 30 June for one-off support funding of up to $5,000 under the Northern Territory Government's China Ready Program. Registration is open for the 2018 WYSE Exchange Australia Youth Tourism Conference to be held on Wednesday 9 May at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel in Sydney. Registration is open for the Tourism and Transport Forum’s Outlook Tourism Industry and Policy Conference to be held in Sydney on Thursday 17 May. As part of a partnership to attract foreign direct investment in tourism product, Tourism Australia and Austrade have produced a case study on Jackalope Hotel, a $40 million five-star boutique hotel on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula which was awarded Australia’s Hotel of the Year just months after opening its doors. Tourism Australia has published recordings of presentations from the Destination Australia Conference held in Melbourne on Thursday 15 March. Industry are also invited to register interest for next year’s conference to be held on Thursday 14 March 2019 in Brisbane.

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