Funding boost to entice Indian cricket fans

Tourism Australia has received a $5 million funding boost to promote the upcoming ICC T20 Cricket World Cup being held in Australia for the first time next year, to fans in India. More than one million spectators from around Australia and the world are expected to attend this significant sporting event, which will be played as two standalone tournaments for women and men, delivering significant benefits to the tourism industry and broader economy. Federal Minister for Tourism Simon Birmingham said the funds would be used for marketing activities to drive visitation to both tournaments, as well as increase Australia’s broader destination appeal in India.

Wellness Tourism Initiative survey

Industry are invited to provide feedback via Global Wellness Institute’s Wellness Tourism Initiative survey. The survey will help the industry understand and better cater to wellness travellers globally. Complete the survey and go into the draw to win a platinum ticket to the Wellness Tourism Summit.

ITOs Discover Aboriginal Experiences firsthand

Representatives from five influential Inbound Tour Operators experienced Aboriginal guided experiences in Broome and Cape Leveque last week on a Discover Aboriginal Experiences famil hosted by Tourism Australia, in partnership with Tourism WA. The group enjoyed a range of experiences available to international visitors including touring with local Yawuru man Bart Pigram from Narlijia Experiences Broome, who provided the complete story of the regions fascinating past and present on the Life of Guwan Tour and Cultural Cruise. Travelling further north to the Dampier Peninsula, to Kooljaman where the group enjoyed tour experiences with local Bardi men Brian Lee and Bundy, including mud crabbing, fishing and sampling bush fruits and medicines in the pristine environment.

Educating elite American travel advisors at GTM

Tourism Australia met with high-generating North American travel advisors at Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) Elite in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last weekend. The annual event gave advisors the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of Australian experiences and Aussie Specialist tools to create itineraries and overcome barriers such as time, distance and cost. Content produced from the Aussie Specialist Ambassador fam trips proved useful for engagement. Midwest based advisors were especially interested in the new non-stop services from Chicago, which opens up great potential for new sales to Australia.

Humpback whale season now underway in Australia’s Coral Coast, WA

Humpback whale season has commenced in Western Australia’s World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park on Australia’s Coral Coast. Various operators in Coral Bay and Exmouth are now offering full-day interactive whale tours where guests can swim alongside this fascinating mammal. The announcement follows an additional two years trial approved by the Western Australian Government (2019 and 2020) permitting various businesses to operate in-water interactive tours. The Coral Coast is a temporary home for up to 35,000 whales migrating along the coast line each year. One of Western Australia’s best kept secrets is only a two-hour flight from Perth.

Indigenous-designed urban food farm opens in Redfern, NSW

A new indigenous-designed urban farm offering a series of events, workshops and tours has opened in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Redfern. Launched by cultural start-up Yerrabingn, the rooftop farm aims to rehabilitate threatened species including native ingredients, Australian botanicals and medicinal plants. Visiting guests can learn about Aboriginal cultures, native permaculture, environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing while interacting with the functioning ecosystem. Located on the rooftop of Mirvac’s new technology and innovation hub in Redfern, the financially sustainable project will also produce edible native plants that will be available to purchase by cafes in the area.

Local Margaret River winery launches a sweet new pairing experience, NSW

Arlewood Estate has launched a new wine pairing experience in partnership with Temper Temper Fine Chocolates in Western Australia’s Margaret River region. The new experience offers an intimate 20-minute wine pairing in the estate’s tasting room with one of Arlewood’s professional grape growers. Hear the stories behind the vineyard whilst indulging in bespoke sweet treats made by the local chocolatier which have been specifically crafted to match small batch blends from Arlewood’s heritage collection, La Bratta wines. Arlewood Estate is located in WA’s popular Margaret River wine region three hours from Perth.

Great Fishing Adventures of Australia welcome six new partners, QLD

Six new Queensland businesses have joined the Great Fishing Adventures of Australia collective providing a fresh new mix of day trips, charters and liveaboard experiences throughout the state. Cairns Reef Fishing (Cairns), Tie ‘n’ Fly Outfitters (Sunshine Coast), Kekoa Sports Fishing (Fraser Island), Northern Conquest Charters (Townsville), East Coast Angling (Port Douglas) and Waterline Charters (Gold Coast) are the new participating partners. Providing the opportunity to pursue some of Australia's fishing riches, the new operators offer various freshwater and saltwater fishing experiences for keen anglers. Great Fishing Adventures of Australia is part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia program that promotes outstanding tourism experiences within a variety of special categories.

Australia’s Wellness Tourism Summit

Noosa will be the backdrop for Australia’s Wellness Tourism Summit in March 2020. The Summit is being convened by Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a non-profit organisation, whose mission is to empower wellness worldwide and is aimed at showcasing the rapid growth in the wellness sector and the opportunities for tourism businesses in Australia. The two-day program will reveal the latest research, consumer trends and best practice in wellness travel and tourism, with more than 20 leading wellness travel experts invited to share their insights into the growing wellness tourism sector. Research carried out by GWI values the wellness tourism sector at an impressive $639 billion a year in global visitor spend, with Australia receiving 10 million wellness trips a year from local and international visitors.

Mt Mulligan Lodge joins Luxury Lodges of Australia

Luxury Lodges of Australia announced Mt Mulligan Lodge joined as the newest member of the collection of uniquely Australian luxe lodges and camps. Mt Mulligan Lodge opened in April 2019 and is the latest addition to the Morris family-owned Northern Escape Collection. The newly built luxury outback lodge is situated on a secluded 28,000-hectare heritage site, a working cattle station, with luxe lodging and guided outback adventures for just 16 guests. Accessible via helicopter flight or four-wheel-drive adventure from Cairns, Mt Mulligan Lodge is located at the base of a spectacular escarpment, among eucalyptus woodlands, with views of majestic Mount Mulligan reflected across a sparkling weir.

Ecotourism cert ECOTOURISM Australia has launched a new online platform designed to make the process of achieving certification easier for tourism businesses. Called mycertfication.eco, the platform streamlines the application process through simple click-through criteria and provides more detailed guidance for applicants.

Nominations are open for the QTIC Prize for Innovation, which recognises tourism businesses in Queensland that have introduced an innovative product, service or process. Nominations close 16 August 2019.

The NT Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture is expanding visitor offerings on the Territory Arts Trail, a tourism initiative raising awareness of the Territory as a premier global destination to visit for distinctive art and culture experiences.

Last call for papers for the Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference. The Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference, the premier event of Ecotourism Australia will be held in Cairns from 2-4 December 2019. Deadline for submissions is Friday 16 August 2019.

Nominations open for the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards (Brolga Awards), the official tourism awards program for the Northern Territory. The Brolga Awards recognise and encourage tourism businesses that strive for excellence in every area of their operation.

As part of the Turbo2 action plan the Northern Territory Government is providing a further $3 million over two years through the Visitor Experience Enhancement Program, to assist the tourism industry undertake projects that will improve the on-ground visitor experience in the NT.

Registration is open for the 2019 WA Regional Tourism Conference from 16 to 18 September in Karratha.

Registration is open for the DestinationQ 2019 Events Conference, which is a free event aimed at developing and enhancing events throughout Queensland.