| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | Last week our signature incentive showcase for business events, Dreamtime, returned for the first time in four years. The event, held in Adelaide/Tarntanya, connected 80 qualified business events buyers, 90 Australian industry sellers and a delegation of international media – all with the aim of driving business events back down under. At the end of the event we announced that the showcase, normally held every two years, will return in 2024 for an additional event in Cairns next September. It will also be rebranded to ‘Australia Next’, to align the event with Business Events Australia’s popular magazine for incentive planners. A big thanks to our host partner Business Events Adelaide for making Dreamtime 2023 one to remember, and we look forward to working with Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef to make Australia Next in 2024 another one to remember. The latest international arrivals numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that recovery is continuing to trend in the right direction. In September arrivals were at 84%, compared to the same month in 2019, and this is up from 76% in August. We have also been seeing the number of travellers arriving in Australia for a holiday grow throughout the year and Holiday has now surpassed Visiting Friends and Relatives as the primary purpose of travel over the past 12 months. Last week we also kicked off our Industry briefing roadshow in Adelaide/Tarntanya and Melbourne/Narrm, to give an update on where recovery is at, share more about what we are doing at Tourism Australia, and to provide the latest insights on our key markets. Briefings will also be taking place in Brisbane/Meeanjin, Perth/Boorloo and Sydney/Warrane, if you would like to attend and haven’t already registered you can do so here. Phillipa Harrison | |
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| | | |  | | Connect to Country Issue 6 | | Issue 6 of the Connect to Country digital magazine, dedicated to telling the stories of Discover Aboriginal Experiences members has just launched. Read all about the experiences available after dark with Discover Aboriginal Experiences members; take a deep dive into the offerings of Tiwi by Design in the Northern Territory; discover the activities that not only inform but get your heart pumping; and better understand the Aboriginal cultural stories that mark some of our biggest cities. |
|  | | November Hot List released | | Tourism Australia has released its latest travel 'Hot List' for November 2023, available to download now on its corporate website. The guide, which includes the latest news and tourism offerings across the country and is updated monthly. The 'Hot List' contains a wrap-up of new places to stay and experiences to enjoy around Australia. Check it out here. |
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| | |  | | Tourism Australia Wins Gold at North America’s Travvy Awards | | The Travvy Awards celebrated its ninth year with a spectacular gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 2 November. Tourism Australia took the top award for Best Tourism Board – South Pacific for the third year running. The annual Travvy Awards, presented by TravelPulse, honours travel companies and destinations for their outstanding achievement. Thousands of votes – cast by travel professionals – determined the very best in the travel industry. After another challenging year for North American travel advisors, it is wonderful to receive this recognition and to hear advisors’ enthusiasm for booking Australia. Australia also won a silver Travvy Award in the Best Destination – South Pacific category. |
|  | | DER Touristik Germany launches Australia campaign | | Tourism Australia in conjunction with six state and territory tourism organisations launched a dedicated multi-channel Australia campaign with DER Touristik, one of Germanys biggest key distribution partners. The campaign will be live until February 2024 to coincide with the high booking season. Elements of the partnership campaign include online, and offline consumer facing activities as well as B2B activities including travel agent training. One of the key activities is the extension of the campaign via video activations throughout 500 REWE supermarkets across Germany supported by online content on the REWE website to promote Australia as the next holiday destination. Simultaneously video content of each state and territory partner will be showcased in the store windows of one thousand DER Touristik travel agencies over the coming weeks. |
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| | |  | | Results of the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards | | Last week at the British Museum in London, Australia was awarded the Most Desirable Country in the World for 2023, as voted by readers of Wanderlust magazine. Australia was also named in the top 10 for favourite country for nature and wildlife, adventure, and for gastronomy. Additionally, Queensland and South Australia were included in the top 10 for most desirable regions in the world Sydney and Perth were included in the top 10 for most desirable city in the world; and Tasmania was included in the top 10 for most desirable island in the world. Find out more here. |
|  | | Australia wins at Travel Bulletin’s Star Awards | | Tourism Australia recently won the ’Star All-Round Destination’ award at the Star Awards, hosted by Travel Bulletin in London. The UK team attended and took home the award for Australia, which was hotly contested against key competitor destinations. The awards celebrate gold standard practice in the travel industry and are voted for by key agent partners from across the UK. |
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| | | | |  | | New Partnership Enhances Accessibility in Australia’s Caravan Sector | | The Caravan Industry Association of Australia has announced a strategic partnership with Accessible Accommodation (The Accessible Group). Focused on enriching accessible tourism experiences, this collaboration aims to cater to the diverse needs of Australia's caravan and camping sector. With the caravan lifestyle appealing to a wide demographic, including those with disabilities, the industry seeks to ensure inclusivity. Recent data from Tourism Research Australia shows that 20 per cent of caravan park visitors report a disability or health condition, translating to around 3.8 million trips annually. This partnership signifies a crucial step in advancing accessible tourism within the industry, making caravan experiences accessible and enjoyable for all travellers. |
|  | | Ecotourism Australia’s Global Summit: Brisbane 2024 | | Tourism Australia is supporting Ecotourism Australia’s inaugural Global Tourism Sustainability Summit in Brisbane/Meeanjin from 4 to 6 June 2024. Held at the Sustainable Tourism Certified Pullman Mercure Brisbane King George Square, the summit will feature expert speakers and best-practice case studies, aligning with sustainability pillars: environment, socio-economic, culture, and sustainable management. The summit will be a fantastic opportunity for industry to network and share valuable learnings, ensuring sustainability continues to meet the expectations of our international travellers looking for more sustainable travel options. Find out more here. |
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| | | | |  | | Perth Wildlife Encounters launch sea lion tour | | Western Australia has strengthened its reputation for incredible and sustainable wildlife encounters with a licensed swimming with sea lions trial approved at Rockingham by Perth Wildlife Encounters. Departing from Shoalwater, the Wildlife Adventure package takes travellers on an unforgettable five hour half-day tour through the ruggedly spectacular, Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, where participants will experience the best of the local marine life, above and below the water, including sea lions. During the tour, guests will graze on gourmet platters boasting locally sourced seafood, enjoy breathtaking views from the vessel and tune into stories of the sea by informed tour guides. Perth Wildlife Encounters has been operating for 30 years with a commitment to fostering truly wild and animal friendly experiences. |
|  | | Iconic Queen Victoria Building unveils festive celebrations | | The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in Sydney/Warrane will deliver the magic of the festive season with a unique and exciting new schedule of music programming within the centre for this year’s holiday season. This will include a schedule of entertainment from choirs including but not limited to the Barayagal Choir, Australian Girls’ Choir, The Honeybees, Bel A Capella and Circular Key Chorus. Performances will take place on Thursday evenings from 4pm and 6pm and Saturdays from 11am to 2pm with additional selected school choirs showcasing their voices and repertoire throughout the month too. The QVB will also once again unveil native Wollemi Pine-inspired and Australia’s largest indoor Christmas tree for the third year with an important First Nations artistic overlay. The art overlay has been developed via an exciting collaboration with Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft, Jeffrey Samuels, Jude Jarrett, and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. |
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| | |  | | Slide into summer with Perth/Boorloo open-air cinema | | Perth/Boorloo’s newest open-air rooftop cinema is set to launch 1 December on Level 24 of Rendezvous Hotel Perth Scarborough. With panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and a front row seat to WA’s iconic sunset, Rendezvous Film Club is an unforgettable movie destination. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night sees a cult favourite hit the big screen, from heartwarming Christmas classics to thrilling action-packed adventures and cherished family favourites. From 6.45pm the Observation Deck will open with deck chairs available on a first come, first served basis for a 7.30pm movie start. Get comfy and BYO cushions, blankets and rugs. Each sitting, viewers can dine on artisanal produce platters and movie-themed cocktails expertly crafted by the talented team at Four Pillars. |
|  | | Adelaide/Tarntanya to host LIV Golf tournament in April 2024 | | LIV Golf Adelaide Adelaide will return from 26 to 28 April 2024. This year a huge 77,076 people were in attendance across the three-day event – with more than 40 per cent from out-of-state – helping generate more than 43,000 visitor nights in Adelaide. Raising SA’s profile on the world stage, the tournament was broadcast to a global household reach of more than 276 million across 69 territories – with the event going viral when fans celebrated Chase Koepka’s hole-in-one at the 12th hole. Hospitality tickets will go on sale from 15 November. Fans are encouraged to sign up for free to LIV X to gain pre-sale access to grounds passes, which will be available on 5 December exclusively to LIV X members and previous LIV Golf Adelaide ticket buyers, before the public on-sale starting 6 December. |
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