Traveling Blog: Essentials… Spotlight on South Korea | Celebrating Australia in Paris | Holiday the Wiggly Way

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29 June 2022

Tourism Australia Update

The inaugural Qantas Perth to Rome flight took off over the weekend, bringing us closer than ever to our friends and customers in Europe.  Importantly for tourism, a direct flight like this means Australia is just one flight away for the high yielding travellers in the region who are going to play a key role in Australia’s tourism recovery.

As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, the return and extension of airline routes is going to be integral to the success of our industry. The latest topline data on international inbound seat capacity for Australia overall shows that 54 per cent has been reclaimed when compared to 2019 levels. So, it’s important now to do everything we can to get more returning and establish a few new options like Qantas’ Perth-Rome service that make it easier for our international visitors to travel here.

This week, as we enter the winter school holiday season, it's great to see so many Australians continuing to explore our own backyard. Sydney Airport alone is expecting more than 1.5 million domestic passengers will pass through the terminals over the next three weeks – which is over 100,000 more than the April school holiday period. In addition to the growing international arrivals, we are seeing continued increased demand for domestic holidays.

Looking ahead, Tourism Australia’s next Industry Webinar will be held at 11am AEST on Friday 22 July and there will be lots to discuss. Please register to attend here.

Phillipa Harrison

Tourism Australia Activity

Spotlight on South Korea

This week, ‘Spotlight on the Regions’ features an interview with Jinha Joh, Tourism Australia’s Country Manager South Korea, who shares her insights and observations from the South Korean market, as well as updates on key stakeholders and activities to keep Australia front of mind. Read the update here.

Celebrating Australia in Paris

Tourism Australia celebrated the re-start of travel from France to Australia by hosting a series of events in Paris. The events were held in conjunction with Tourism and Events Queensland, Destination New South Wales, Tourism NT, South Australian Tourism Commission and Visit Victoria, to showcase news and updates to media, trade, and Premier Aussie Specialist travel agents. The event series commenced with a media breakfast followed by an evening event with more than 40 tourism industry guests. A lunch with Premier Aussie Specialists concluded the two days of Australia events.

‘Holiday The Wiggly Way’ content series

Join The Wiggles for a new series of adventures as they ‘Holiday the Wiggly Way’ across Australia. Ahead of the school holidays, Tourism Australia’s Holiday The Wiggly Way encourages tiny travellers to explore Australia sustainably - spot Aussie animals, try new things, meet the first Australians who have been here for more than 60,000 years and listen to the stories of their unique culture.
This new series builds upon the suite of family-friendly holiday inspiration available on The Family Hub on Australia.com, with a Story Generator where kids can star in their own Wiggly adventure.

TwitterTV features Melbourne in Japan

Following the success of Tourism Australia’s working holiday promotion in March this year with MyNavi, one of the most influential digital media channels in Japan targeting university students and working people in their 20s, the Japan team has partnered with MyNavi again to promote the Yours to Explore campaign.
As part of Tourism Australia’s International Media Hosting Program, MyNavi TwitterTV visited Melbourne last month with Japanese fashion model Ms Yulano Ochi. The 60-minute feature showcases the variety of experiences which Australia has to offer Japanese travellers, including city life, food and drink, and nature and wildlife.

Tourism Industry News

Queensland Activate Ecotourism Infrastructure funding

The Queensland Government has announced the Activate Ecotourism Infrastructure (Act Eco) initiative, which will provide individual funding of up to $2 million (excluding GST) on a dollar-for-dollar matched cash funding contribution basis to existing Queensland tourism operators, not-for-profit organisations and local governments to develop/deliver ecotourism and nature-based tourism infrastructure adjacent to, or near, a public protected area. Expressions of Interest are open until 19 July 2022. Read more here.

South Australia regional tourism marketing boost

A boost to regional tourism marketing was announced last week by the South Australian Government. The $500,000 boost includes $15,000 for each of the State’s 11 tourism regions to supplement their existing baseline marketing spend. The South Australian Tourism Commission will work with the regional tourism organisations to assist in the planning and roll-out of marketing opportunities.

Export Market Development Grants Program - Round Two

Applications for Round Two of Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program will be open from Wednesday 6 July, until Wednesday 17 August 2022. The program is designed to help Australian businesses grow their exports in international markets and the grants encourage small to medium enterprises to market and promote their goods and services globally. Apply via the EMDG Online Portal.

International and Domestic Visitor Survey results for March 2022

Tourism Research Australia has released the International Visitor Survey and National Visitor Survey results for the year ending March 2022. Read more here.

Australian Stories

Sydney WorldPride invites travellers to Australia with rainbow flag at Sydney Opera House

On Friday, Sydney WorldPride invited the global LGBTQIA+ community to the 2023 event by forming a human rainbow on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Named the Human Progress Flag, 1,111 volunteers donned the colours of the rainbow to announce the ticket sale date for major Sydney WorldPride events including the Live & Proud Opening Concert, Bondi Beach Party and Human Rights Conference. The festival will run from 17 February to 5 March 2023, delivering a program of arts, culture and festivals across New South Wales. Tickets go on sale to the public at 9am AEST on 15 July at SydneyWorldPride.com.

Adelaide Equestrian Festival to gallop back to life for first time since 2019

The Australian International will return as the Adelaide Equestrian Festival in South Australia for the first time since 2019 from 20 to 23 April 2023. One of only seven events in the world at its level, the equestrian event returns under a three-year sponsorship agreement with the South Australian Government and includes the prolific Adelaide International FEI5* competition. The event is an Olympic qualifier for Australian riders. The event hopes to match the success of the 2019 showcase which welcomed over 25,000 spectators to Adelaide’s parklands and deliver an estimated $5.2 million to the state.

Tour unearthing sustainable Indigenous practices returns to Australian Museum

Member of Tourism Australia’s Discover Aboriginal Experiences collective, The Australian Museum, has recommenced the Waranara First Nations Tour. An immersive Indigenous experience, the tour offers visitors the opportunity to learn about First Nation’s knowledge, and inherently sustainable, practices. Meaning ‘to seek’ in the First Nations language of the Sydney/Warrane region, Waranara is a one-hour tour of the Museum’s First Nations Galleries and shares personal stories about the diversity of Indigenous cultures.

The Star Gold Coast welcomes in the new Residences

The glistening Gold Coast has welcomed a new short-term accommodation offering at The Star Gold Coast. The Star Residences offer apartment-style accommodation on the shores of Broadbeach. Serving up the tastes of homeliness in the heart of a world-class resort, The Star Residences offer private and spacious apartments with views of the Gold Coast hinterland. Guests will be able to access the venue’s new Isoletto Pool Club and a private recreation deck on Level 20 of the tower.