Essentials this week… | ATE19 | ITB19 | Canada reaches Aussie Specialist milestone | Virtuoso award for Australia | Whitsundays promotion | and more…

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15 August 2018     Seller applications open for ATE19 in Perth Applications opened this week for Australian tourism businesses to participate in the 40th annual Australian Tourism Exchange in Perth from 8 - 12 April 2019. Tourism Australia is working with Tourism Western Australia to deliver the event at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Around 1,500 Australian seller delegates from approximately 550 companies, 650 key buyer delegates from over 30 countries as well as over 80 international and Australian media attend this global event. The program will include a mix of business appointments and networking opportunities. This is the fourth time ATE has been hosted in Western Australia; it was first held in Perth in 2005, and again in 2008 and 2012. Applications are open until Friday 14 September.     15 August 2018     Internationale Tourismus Börse 2019 Applications are open until Friday 21 September for Australian tourism businesses to join the Australia stand at the Internationale Tourismus Börse 2019 (ITB19) in Berlin from 6 to 10 March 2019. A wide range of participation options are available, such as sole and share booth options, and day passes for the trade days.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA NEWS  Whitsundays region showcased through international media The Whitsundays region took centre stage in a TV segment broadcast on US entertainment show Extra TV last week with a follow up segment to air tomorrow in the US. The Extra partnership is part of Tourism Australia’s media and influencer program aimed at aiding the Cyclone Debbie recovery and is supported by content including website articles and social posts on Extra TV and Australia.com. Tourism Australia received additional funds from the federal government in 2017/18 to promote the Whitsundays via its International Media Hosting Program in the wake of Cyclone Debbie. In addition to Extra TV, other projects supported under the Cyclone Debbie Recovery Fund include Entertainment Tonight and visits by US singer and The Voice Australia judge Kelly Rowland, US actress Crystal Reed, television star Nia Sioux and digital influencer @taramilktea. Canada reaches milestone with 1000 Aussie Specialists The Aussie Specialist Program marked a major milestone last week with Danielle Berton, Travel Consultant at Groupe Voyages in Montreal, becoming the 1,000th Aussie Specialist in Canada. Tourism Australia celebrated the occasion with a surprise visit to congratulate Danielle in person and presented her with a gift pack. Since the 2015 relaunch, the Aussie Specialist Program has grown from under 300 qualified agents in Canada. The Aussie Specialist Program is Tourism Australia’s global online training program, shared by all eight state and territory tourism partners and designed to provide frontline travel sellers from around the globe with the knowledge and skills to best sell Australia. Virtuoso awards Australia’s premium education program in the US Tourism Australia’s education program for Virtuoso in the US was recognised by the luxury travel network as “The Most Comprehensive Advisor Program” this week. The prestigious award was presented at Virtuoso's major annual gathering, Virtuoso Travel Week, which kicked off in Las Vegas this week with some 2,888 luxury travel advisors. Tourism Australia collaborates with all States and Territories in partnership with Virtuoso, which helps educate its travel advisors on premium holiday experiences Down Under. Virtuoso, the leading global network specialising in bespoke and experiential travel, will next year bring around 500 of the most influential decision makers in the luxury travel industry to Melbourne from 7-11 May for the Virtuoso Symposium 2019.

AUSTRALIAN STORIES  Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Sydney Central Park officially opens Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park is the latest addition to the multi-stage A$2 billion Central Park development, a joint venture between Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House Australia. Located in Chippendale, the hotel sits in the heart of Sydney’s creative scene and playground of local haunts from artisan cafes and galleries to hidden bars. Voyages Ayers Rock Resort to host Uluru Astronomy Weekend 2018 Astronomy enthusiasts can discover the Australian outback sky at Ayers Rock Resort’s upcoming Uluru Astronomy Weekend on 14-16 September. Now in its fifth year, the event is run in partnership with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) and will be hosted by TV personality and meteorologist Nate Byrne, along with some of the world’s leading astronomy experts. Pop culture icons take over Floriade in Canberra Now in its 31st year, Floriade will feature retro-inspired flowerbeds that will showcase some of the 20th century’s most iconic figures in music, film, literature and social media in Canberra's Commonwealth Park from 15 September to 14 October. Visitors can expect Marilyn Monroe and Ken Done inspired creations alongside beds dedicated to Grug, the Rubik’s Cube and Where’s Wally. Underwater artworks to become new Whitsundays tourism attraction Langford Reef in the Whitsunday Islands will be home to a new installation of underwater and inter-tidal art. As part of a trial installation, four sculptures by local artist Adriaan Vanderlugt were unveiled to the public at the Whitsundays Reef Festival at Airlie Beach and will be moved to an underwater environment next month.

NEWS IN BRIEF    Three Australian cities have been ranked in the top ten most liveable cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s global liveability survey: Melbourne (#2), Sydney (#5) and Adelaide (#10). The Northern Territory welcomed the first of two charter flights last week from Japan’s largest travel wholesalers, JTB World Vacations, carrying approximately 357 passengers from Darwin to Narita, Japan and return worth an estimated $600,000 in visitor spend in the NT. Tourism and Events Queensland has published a dedicated chapter focusing on event sustainability as part of its Queensland Events Guide. The Queensland Government launched a $12.2 million outback infrastructure fund last week to develop outback tourism infrastructure. Registration is open for the Bicycle Tourism and the Australian Walking and Cycling conferences from 26-30 October in Bendigo, Victoria. Crystalbrook Collection has launched its recruitment campaign to attract over 500 jobs to the region in the next 18 months across its three Cairns based hotels. Central Coast Council in New South Wales has partnered with 38 tourism related businesses to co-fund a new visitor campaign for the Central Coast – Have a Little Adventure. Applications are open until Friday 7 September for South Australia's best of wine tourism awards 2019. Nominations are open until 20 August for the Adventure Tourism Awards to be held on the Gold Coast on Wednesday 14 November alongside a conference for the backpacker, youth and adventure travel sector. Registration is open for the Ecotourism Australia one day Masterclass in Cairns on 11 September and the Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference in Townsville on 26-28 November.     Applications are open until Friday 14 September for the Australian Regional Tourism Emerging Tourism Professionals program, open to tourism professionals aged 30 and under who are working in the tourism industry in regional Australia or in a role that primarily focuses on regional tourism. Registration is open for The Exchange to be held on Tuesday 11 September at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. The Exchange is the new name for the Melbourne Tourism Industry Exchange and embraces the inclusion of Greater Melbourne and regional destinations and products. The next funding round of the Queensland Destination Events Program is open until Wednesday 10 October. Registration is open for Destination NSW’s half-day Tourism Manager Forums offering advice on support and resources available for NSW tourism businesses. Submissions are open until Friday 31 August for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council's Prize for Innovation in Tourism. Registration is open for ATEC Meeting Place 2018 which will take place from 19-21 November in Darwin. The South Australian Tourism Industry Council and the State’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon David Ridgway MLC, will continue to deliver Meet the Minister industry events in August to discuss tourism and the South Australian visitor economy. Entries are open until Sunday 30 September the first Destination Gold Coast Content Awards to celebrate the best of digital and social storytelling from the region. #DGCCA #WeAreGoldCoast Industry are invited to register their interest for the Destination Australia Conference 2019 to be held on Thursday 14 March in Brisbane.

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