Australian hotel investment year in review

2018 has been a busy year for the Australian hotel industry, with over 6,000 new rooms coming online from 56 new hotels. For the first time in over a decade, the number of rooms opening throughout the year exceeded the number sold, with investors focused on the development of new rooms. Nearly 8,000 rooms are predicted to come online in 2019, from 41 new hotels. Beyond 2019, there will still be plenty of new product to explore with over 15,000 rooms currently under construction across the country. Watch this short video for a look at Australian hotel investment in 2018. Tourism Australia and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) formed a partnership in 2012 to attract foreign direct investment in tourism product by providing information and assistance to interested investors on Australia’s tourism infrastructure opportunities.

Industry briefing presentations

Tourism Australia has published presentations from its recent industry briefings held in Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales. The briefings provided an overview of Tourism Australia’s strategic direction, global market strategy, recent and upcoming campaign activity as well as information on how to partner with Tourism Australia.

Australia features as special focus destination at PATA in France

Forty tour operators, airlines, distribution and trade media partners in France were updated on Tourism Australia’s activities and direction in the French market this month. Australia was the featured as “special focus destination” at a Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) breakfast in Paris hosted in conjunction with Accor Hotels and the PATA France chapter. For the year ending September 2018, Australia welcomed 136,800 visitors from France, an increase of 5.8 per cent on the previous period.

New high-value traveller profiles for international markets

Tourism Australia has published new high value traveller consumer fact sheets for 14 key inbound markets: USA, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and New Zealand. High-value travellers are likely to spend more, stay longer and disperse more regionally. They travel long haul (out of region) on a regular basis and have a preference for Australia as a holiday destination. They have distinct key drivers for destination choice such as food and wine, aquatic and coastal, and nature and wildlife experiences when choosing a holiday destination. Most importantly they represent high value with above average trip expenditure.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2019 set to be the best yet

Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival presented by Bank of Melbourne. Running from 8th – 24th of March, guests will be able to dine out on the freshest Victorian produce with a range of extraordinary food and wine experiences including long lunches, hands-on workshops, family friendly picnics and industry talks from leading international and local chefs.

Hot from New York, famed Roberta’s pizza comes to Sydney

On Sunday 9th December, famed pizzeria Roberta’s will be serving up fresh pizza from Surry Hill’s Firedoor for a one-day-only pop-up. Dubbed America’s most famous pizza with a cult following that includes Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Bill and Hillary Clinton, Head Chef and Owner, Carlo Mirarchi will be serving up his iconic Neapolitan-style pizza while Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie will be dishing out a menu of sides and mains. Located at 23–33 Mary Street Surry Hills, the pop up will open from 1pm and will be serving up pizzas until late or when the dough runs out. Walk-ins only.

Ovolo The Valley Hotel Launches in Brisbane

The 103-room Ovolo The Valley hotel officially launched on Thursday 29 November 2018, marking another milestone for the boutique designer hotel collection. With a rooftop swimming pool looking over Fortitude Valley, Ovolo The Valley includes a gym, sauna and a unique meeting room aptly named, ‘B.I.G’. Guests can select from five unique styles of rooms, each designed to cater to different specifications. A new and exciting restaurant and bar concept is due to launch at Ovolo The Valley in early 2019.

The Good Scout Travel Co release the first guide for accessible adventures

To celebrate International Day of People with Disability on Monday 3 December The Good Scout Travel Co have released a guide on 101 Accessible Australian Adventures. Each activity has been individually reviewed by the company and aims to help make accessible travel a stress-free adventure. This list provides a comprehensive guide for wheelchair travellers and their families, who want to make the most out of every moment in Australia.

The Queensland Government has launched its first official Queensland-India Trade and Investment Strategy to deliver a $1.5 billion trade boost to the state’s economy.

Regional events held between July and December 2019 can now apply for NSW Government funding, aimed at driving more overnight visitors to rural and regional towns across the State.

Destination Kiama and Surfing NSW will take their partnership to new heights thanks to a new three-year agreement, which will see the idyllic region used as a prime surfing hub for tourism, high performance programs and events.

Tourism and Events Queensland is inviting organisations to submit offers for Third-Party Representation in North America (Canada and the United States) by Monday 17 December.

A recording of Tourism Australia’s accessible tourism webinar is now available to watch on demand. The webinar outlines the size of the market for travellers with accessibility needs as well as recent Australian research.

Industry are invited to register their interest for the Destination Australia Conference 2019 to be held on Thursday 14 March in Brisbane.