Traveling Blog: Essentials… Register for Tourism Australia’s Sydney Industry Briefing | National Experience Content Initiative | Hong Kong corporates wowed at Melbourne Cup

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10 November 2021

TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE
As we make more progress towards reopening borders and getting tourism back on track, we continue to pass milestone after milestone. Last weekend it was announced that 80 per cent of Australians (aged 16 and over) are now fully vaccinated, and this week more restrictions have eased across our eastern states with travel to regional areas of New South Wales open again. Last Friday, on our industry webinar, I launched the next iteration of the Holiday Here This Year campaign. The campaign encourages Australians to give The Gift of Travel this festive season and support the tourism industry. As part of the campaign, we have developed a comprehensive holiday season hub and Gift Finder on Australia.com that features tailored, giftable experiences and a variety of industry offers at all price points. We really encourage you to participate in and benefit from the campaign activity, and you can do that by downloading the campaign toolkit from the corporate website, and aligning your marketing activity to support the campaign. Phillipa Harrison

Sydney Industry Briefing

Tourism Australia is hosting a face-to-face industry briefing in Sydney on Monday 13 December. The free-of-charge briefing will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney at 3pm with registration commencing at 2.30pm. The briefing will be followed by networking drinks from 5pm to 6.30pm. Register to attend here.

Tourism Australia Activity

Webinar series with Chikyu no Arukikata

Tourism Australia has kicked off a series of consumer webinars partnering with Chikyu no Arukikata (Globe Trotter), one of the most influential travel guidebooks in Japan. The first webinar focused on sustainable tourism in Australia. Guest speakers from Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Entrada Travel Group in Queensland joined the event sharing insights into sustainable business practices which support wildlife and the environment in Australia. Other topics in the series include food and drink and Indigenous culture. The events aim to keep Japanese consumers actively considering holidaying in Australia once travel restrictions are eased.

Australia Most Popular Long Haul Destination in the UK

Australia won the award for ‘Most Popular Long Haul Destination’ at the annual Wanderlust Travel Awards, held last Tuesday at London’s Kensington Palace - one of four awards in the Readers Choice awards categories. It was a big night for Australia with Craig Wickham of Exceptional Kangaroo Island also receiving the award for Best Specialist Guide, as judged by a panel of British travel experts. This year marks the 20th annual awards by Wanderlust, one of Britain’s more influential travel magazines. View the full list of winners here.

Key partners updated face to face in the United Kingdom

Last week, Tourism Australia’s team in the United Kingdom team hosted an industry event which was attended by several dozen key partners, including state and territory tourism organisations based in the United Kingdom and key distribution partners. The first in-person industry update since the beginning of the pandemic, it was an opportunity for the team to see familiar faces after meeting digitally for so long, and to meet newer contacts in-person for the first time. As well as providing attendees an update on the work Tourism Australia has been doing in the United Kingdom and worldwide, the event offered a taste of Australia, literally, hosted in the Little Creatures Brewing bar in London – the first to open in Europe.

Hong Kong corporates wowed at Melbourne Cup 2021

Last week the Business Events Australia Best Partner Program together with Towa Tours celebrated Melbourne Cup at the Melbourne Cup Long Lunch at Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong. The event was organised by the Australian Association of Hong Kong and immersed 20 senior corporate executives from top insurance companies into the world-renowned Melbourne Cup tradition. A truly authentic experience, the guests were treated to unique Australian food and wine and shown why ‘There is nothing like Australia’ for business events.

National Experience Content Initiative

Tourism Australia’s National Experience Content Initiative has been rolling out over the past few months and over 50 operators have been featured so far. All the new images and video content can be accessed free of charge on the image and video galleries. The initiative aims to support tourism businesses across Australia in their recovery and drive increased visitation by helping them to better market their experiences and attractions. See some of the recent examples in the Tropical North Queensland region here, including Paronella Park, Raging Thunder, Cairns Zoom & Wildlife Dome and Rusty’s Markets.

Tourism Industry News

Culture, heritage and arts regional tourism grant program

The Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism (CHART) program aims to support community cultural, heritage and arts organisations in regional Australia as they recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Applications close when the funding allocation has been expended or on 29 April 2022, whichever is sooner.

National Online Jobs Fair for Hospitality and Tourism

The National Tourism and Hospitality Virtual Jobs Fair, will take place on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 November 2021. The fair will allow job seekers, employers and employment service providers the ability to chat and discuss the jobs on offer in the hospitality and tourism industries right across Australia. Times vary depending on where you are in Australia. Find out more here.

NSW Free Summer Skills program

Young people are being encouraged to skill up this summer and support the regions with 10,000 free training places across more than 800 courses now available to study. The Summer Skills program offers free training in critical industries delivered by TAFE NSW and 120 registered training providers. More information can be found here.

Strategic Leadership Webinar Series

Convention bureau and tourism organisation leaders are invited to attend a webinar series designed to help destination leaders steer strategic decisions for the future. Developed by the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux and Destinations International the series kicks off with GLOBAL INSIGHTS: DestinationNEXT 2021 Futures Study. The study identifies global trends and opportunities that will shape the future of our industry, drawing from key insights provided by over 200 industry leaders from more than 50 countries. Register to attend here.

Sustainability support for Northern Territory businesses

In the Northern Territory, there are a number of programs that may be of interest to tourism operators working to make their businesses more sustainable from an environmental, community and profitability perspective. These include:

Government Departments and Agencies
Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security
Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority

Advice, Grants, Programs and Tools
Northern Territory Government Grants

This is not a definitive list but aims to provide some guidance on what can be time-consuming research. Find out more about Tourism Australia’s approach to sustainability here.

Australia – The Gift Shop

Gifts to impress any self-proclaimed foodie

Cooking schools, brewery tours and seafood experiences covering sky and sea, Australia is a foodie's dream. For the wine connoisseur, share the gift of a boutique winery tour with Canberra Winery Tours or the Barossa Valley’s immersive three-hour St Hugo’s Chef’s Table. Beer lovers will devour the delights of Cairns’ micro-brewery scene via Brewery Tours Cairns. Or invite loved ones to connect with Indigenous culture via the transformative Indigi Earth’s Warrakirri Dining Experience in Mudgee or a bush tucker immersion at the Swan Valley’s Mandoon Estate. While Crayfish Heli-Adventure takes travellers to the skies of Tasmania’s Bass Straight and Flinders Island, guests can join Tony Tan’s kitchen table in Trentham for a memorable Asian cooking class. Finally, Ayres Rock Resort's Sound of Silence lets guests feast on a five-hour degustation under the stars. Read the full gift guide here.

Must buy gifts for the animal-lovers in your life

Australia is known for its eclectic wildlife, from zoo sleepovers to getting hands on with conservation, there are many ways to spoil an animal lover this Christmas. Gift an unforgettable day at the zoo with Taronga Zoo’s Roar and Snore camping experience or Canberra Zoo’s zookeeper for a day. For those wanting to get hands on with the wild, the Passions of Paradise with Reef Tour and Eco Experience lets budding marine scientists trawl the waters for a day, while the After Dark Feeding Tour at Devils@Cradle promises unique interactions with Tasmanian Devils. Get the heart pumping with a V8 Darwin Airboat Tour of the Darwin mudflats or leisurely cruise, the sea lion filled waters of Port Lincoln with Calypso Star Charters. Finally, warm a loved one’s heart with the undeniable cuteness of the Phillip Island penguin tour. Read the full gift guide here.

Gift for every person in your life

From parents, to grandparents, and those people you can never find a gift for, Australia is here to save the day. Send a loved one up and away beyond the nation’s capital with a Balloon Aloft experience or on a two-hour expedition through Melbourne’s Great Western Plains with Echidna Walkabout’s Koala Recovery Experience. Sea dwellers in your life will love an Australian Coastal Safari through the beautiful Port Lincoln or full day on the water with Cairns Reef Fishing. If someone is in need of some R&R, look no further than a secluded detox at Derby’s Floating Sauna. While fun for the whole family can be found at Sydney’s Luna Park, share the gift of cultural connection at Maruka Arts, a hands-on crafting experience in the epic Red Centre. Read the full gift guide here.

Luxurious travel gifts for them, or for you

Everyone needs the gift of luxury this Christmas. For those with time on their hands, gift a sumptuous mix of gourmet food & wine with Kangaroo Island Odysseys’ Six Day Flinders Ranges and Wine Experience or Victoria’s three-day Lon to Laura tour of the state’s best retreats. Dine on luxury with the infamous owner of Mona in Tasmania at The Dinner with David experience, or send a loved one to centre stage with Opera Australia’s Star at the Sydney Opera House. For the golf obsessed the Elite Day Tours at Moonah Links Golf Resort in Victoria pairs a day of the green with a helicopter ride, while the beer lover will devour a premium pub crawl with Darwin’s Airborne Solutions. Read the full gift guide here.

Meaningful gifts on a budget - everything under $100

There’s plenty on offer under $100 in the ultimate gift shop in the world – Australia. Those keen to absorb the history of the world’s oldest surviving culture will enjoy the 90-minute Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour (Illi Langi) led by Sydney icon Aunty Margaret Campbell or the unique spear fishing experience in Port Douglas with Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours. Invite a loved one to discover the secrets of the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a behind the scenes tour of the stadium or let them sip of Barossa Valley Shiraz at Seppeltsfield. Finally, adventurers will love a private outback horse ride with Katherine Outback Experiences or a Roaring 40s Kayaking paddle through Hobart. Read the full gift guide here.

Unique gifts for the person that has everything

For the person that has it all, there is always something unique to discover Down Under. For the thrill seekers, the BridgeClimb at Sydney Harbour Bridge lets travellers scale the entirety of the beloved icon, while the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise gets you up close and personal Darwin’s scaly residents. Foodies can shuck their worries away with a Port Lincoln Oyster Farm Tasting Tour or spear and eat their own mud crab feast in the Daintree Rainforest with Walkabout Adventures. Those craving pampering will love the Sense of Self spa experience in the heart of Melbourne, while others will delight in sipping spirits with a Gin Walking Tour in Perth and doing Yoga in the Vines in Tasmania. Or share the gift of creativity with a glassblowing workshop at Canberra Glassworks. Read the full gift guide here.