Jessica Mauboy joins Friends of Australia program

Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, has announced Australian singer-songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy has been made a Friend of Australia ambassador to help promote Australia to the world. Along with Mauboy’s appointment, Minister Ciobo also announced the launch of Tourism Australia’s new collective Discover Aboriginal Experiences, which is part of the organisation’s Signature Experiences of Australia program. Discover Aboriginal Experiences features 39 export-ready tourism businesses with over 180 experiences from around Australia. These experiences are guided by Aboriginal people who share personal stories to bring the landscape and their culture to life. Tourism Australia will promote these businesses through a range of specific trade marketing activities.

2017 international visitor spending

International visitor spending for the 12 month period ending December 2017 grew six per cent to reach a new high of $41.3 billion in 2017, representing an addition of $2.2 billion to the Australian economy. Off the back of a successful 2017 China Australia Year of Tourism, spend from China was up 14 per cent to nearly $10.5 billion for the 12 months ending December 2017. Find out more.

Australia wins best overseas self-drive destination award in China

Australia was named as ‘The Best Overseas Self-driving Tour Destination 2017’ at the 2018 Road Trip Festival and I-Driver Award Ceremony in Shanghai last week. The ceremony, attended by government officials, corporate decision makers and media, aims to showcase the most popular self-drive touring routes for Chinese travellers. Self-drive holidays are becoming more popular amongst Chinese travellers as the number of independent travellers continues to grow. In 2017 Australia welcomed 1.35 million Chinese visitors who collectively spent over $10 billion.

New videos promote Australia’s wine tourism experiences

The Ultimate Winery Experiences of Australia collective, part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences program, has produced five videos available for download that invite international visitors to: Go Beyond the Cellar Door where tasting great wine is only part of the experience; Indulge Your Senses with some of Australia’s best regional cuisine in beautiful wine regions; Discover the Art of Winemaking through master classes, wine blending lessons and food and wine matching as well as winery and vineyard tours; Meet the Characters behind some of Australia’s best wines from winemakers and vignerons to cellar door hosts and chefs; Step Back in Time to discover the winemaking secrets of Australia’s founding wineries and the secrets behind some of Australia’s iconic winemakers.

Australian holiday experiences showcased at Indonesian travel fair

More than 100,000 visitors attended the BCA (Bank Central Asia) Australia Travel Fair 2018 held over four days in Jakarta last week. The travel fair was supported by four airlines and five key distribution partners who offered travellers great deals to Australia. Visitors had the opportunity to get a taste of Australia with ‘experiential zones’ showcasing popular holiday experiences such as nature and wildlife, aquatic and coastal and winter adventures. Movie World also thrilled visitors with meet and greet sessions with popular superheroes Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash from Warner Bros. This is a major new initiative for Indonesia and supports all the other brand and partnership campaigns currently running in the market.

Tourism Australia publishes new resources for industry

Tourism Australia has updated its Working with Tourism Australia guide for industry providing advice on resources available to help tourism businesses with their international planning and marketing. Tourism Australia has also released an international tourism snapshot for 2017 and interactive market profiles with statistics on international travellers to Australia including visitation, spend, average trip duration, regions visited and more. Market profiles are available for: Brazil; Canada; China; France; Germany; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Italy; Japan; Malaysia; New Zealand; Singapore; South Korea; United Kingdom; and United States of America.

Australia showcased at ITB Berlin

Tourism Australia hosted an Australia stand with 48 partners at ITB Berlin last week showcasing why ‘There’s nothing like Australia’ to media, tour operators and travel agents from around the world. Prior to the official start of the trade show Tourism Australia and Tourism New Zealand hosted a full day workshop where 70 agents were trained by 22 stand partners on the destinations. Tourism Australia also hosted a breakfast for 25 bloggers to discuss upcoming projects and potential stories. During the consumer weekend visitors received travel advice from Aussie Specialist retail agents and trade partners.

Dundee spotlight at 2018 Australia Marketplace in the US

Over 200 US industry partners enjoyed a special Dundee-themed opening night for the 2018 Australia Marketplace in Los Angeles last month, including the chance to be photographed in Chris Hemsworth’s hat from the film shoot. Over the three days at the 2018 Australia Marketplace, US industry partners held one-on-one appointments with over 100 Australian product suppliers. The event was held in partnership with all states and territories and included airline sponsors Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways, American Airlines and Fiji Airways.

Australian adventures showcased on TravelZoo in Canada

Tourism Australia launched a month-long campaign with TravelZoo in Canada this week, promoting eight key distribution partners with special packages ranging from weeklong tours to 24-day luxury adventures. The campaign is expected to be seen by over three million Canadians in March encouraging them to choose their own adventure in Oz through trips with Collette, Go Ahead Tours, Goway, Kensington Tours, Anderson Vacations, Tully Luxury Travel, Contiki, Downunder Travel.

US activity targeting premium long-haul US travellers

Tourism Australia spent three days in Nashville last month training high profile US travel agents on premium Australian tourism product. Workshops were held with over 40 Swain Destinations team members and 29 top agent partners from Virtuoso, American Express and Signature Consortia. Tourism Australia also gave a special lunchtime presentation to agents and preferred suppliers showcasing recent work in the premium travel sector. Tourism Australia has also partnered with Swain Destinations on a luxury campaign with media partner Elite Traveler targeting affluent long-haul travellers. The campaign will run through to the end of April and include an upcoming event at Portfolios With Purpose in New York City.

Sounds of Silence experience at Uluru celebrates 25 years

The iconic Sounds of Silence experience at Ayres Rock Resort will celebrate 25 years of operation with a gala celebration on 21 March 2018. To mark the anniversary, a new menu will be launched that will continue to showcase native Australian ingredients throughout the many dishes on offer.

The Darling hotel to open next week on the Gold Coast

The Star Gold Coast’s new luxury hotel The Darling will open on Thursday 22 March ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The 17-storey hotel forms the centrepiece of The Star Gold Coast and features 57 suites, a rooftop restaurant and bar Nineteen and infinity pool.

Sydney Fish Market weekend ferry service to begin

SeaLink will operate Sydney Fish Market’s first ever ferry service connecting visitors to the popular tourist attraction from Barangaroo. The service will commence on Saturday 24 March and will initially operate on weekends every 30 minutes between 9am and 5pm.

Refined dining at Pt Leo Estate on the Mornington Peninsula

Named after the celebrated Jaume Plensa sculpture located on the property, Pt Leo Estate on the Mornington Peninsula has launched a new ‘refined dining’ experience at its new restaurant Laura. The restaurant offers diners a set-course menu of up to six dishes which tell a story of the surrounding cool-climate maritime region.

Visit Victoria has launched a new campaign in China targeting millennials and featuring one of China’s most popular rising stars, actor Li Xian.

Destination Melbourne is holding an accessible tourism masterclass on Tuesday 1 May.

Wyndham Hotel Group has announced it will invest $26 million on a new 84-room resort, Ramada Resort Batemans Bay, which is expected to employ up to 60 people during construction and approximately 35 staff once it opens late next year.

Australia has welcomed more than half a million international students over the past year. In 2017, there were 624,000 international students in Australia representing 194 nationalities.

Nominations are open for the 2018 NSW Regional Tourism Awards and the 2018 NSW Tourism Awards as well as and the 2018 South Australian Tourism Awards. Nominations for the Queensland Tourism Awards open on Thursday 8 March.

Registration is open for the 2018 WYSE Exchange Australia Youth Tourism Conference to be held on Wednesday 9 May at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel in Sydney.

Registration is open for Destination Food, Australia's first culinary tourism conference to be held at the Museum of Sydney on Monday 21 May.

Registration is open for the Backpacker and Adventure Tourism Industry Forum on Wednesday 2 May in Byron Bay.

Registration is open for the City of Perth’s 2018 Perth Tourism Industry Exchange on Thursday 24 May at the Perth Arena.

Last week marked the two-year countdown until the ICC Women’s World T20 2020 which will see the world’s 10 best women’s cricket teams come to Australia from 21 February to 8 March 2020.

Abell Point Marina, Cairns Marlin Marina, Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina Port Douglas and Hamilton Island Marina are working together to promote the Great Barrier Reef as one of the world's best Superyacht cruising grounds.

Applications are open until Monday 30 April for the NT Government’s $3 million Visitor Experience Enhancement Program, part of the Turbocharging Tourism stimulus package.

The Australia China Business Council (Tasmanian Branch) and Alibaba Group are holding workshops in Hobart on Wednesday 21 March and Launceston on Thursday 22 March exploring opportunities through the Alibaba Group e-commerce ecosystem.

Registration is open for the Tourism and Transport Forum’s Outlook Tourism Industry and Policy Conference to be held in Sydney on Thursday 17 May.

Applications are open until Thursday 29 March for the Australia-India Council 2018 Grant Program.