| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | This week our Australia Marketplace China event is underway in Zhuhai, bringing together 120 Australian tourism operator sellers, with 103 Chinese buyers including qualified travel agencies, wholesalers and tour operators. The event was last held in 2019, and it’s timing this year is a great opportunity to help to reconnect industry, and further drive Chinese demand back to Australia. From January to September, Australia has welcomed more than 380,000 Chinese visitors and in September alone, we saw Chinese tourist numbers surge to 60 per cent of 2019 levels. Our final Industry Webinar for 2023 will take place on Friday 15 December at 11am AEDT. Along with an update on the latest insights and activities from Tourism Australia, we will be joined by our Chief Marketing Officer, Susan Coghill, who will give an update on our ‘Come and Say G’day’ marketing campaign, and the team from Google will join to take us through some of the trends they are seeing online and how Google can help travellers and businesses better connect. Register to attend. Finally, it was wonderful to hear the Hon John Brown AO, (the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism in the mid 80s and the man responsible for changing the face of tourism in Australia forever) launch his memoir. He is most famous for backing the Paul Hogan campaigns but his achievements in sport and tourism go way beyond this. As the Prime Minister eloquently put it, 'Brownie' showed us that tourism was a real industry. From all of us who have benefited from your work in this great industry – thanks, 'Brownie'! It’s a great read and you can pick up a copy at www.john-brown.com.au Phillipa Harrison | |
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| |  | | Tourism Australia and H.I.S. agreed to boost Australia in Japan | | Yesterday, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, and Kozo Arita, H.I.S. Executive Officer, Head of Travel Business – Leisure, signed a marketing agreement aimed at jointly promoting Australia until June 2026. H.I.S. is one of Tourism Australia’s key distribution partners in Japan. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, both parties agreed to develop and implement a preferred destination development strategy to quickly recover Japanese visitor numbers to Australia to pre-COVID levels and achieve further sustainable growth. In 2019, Japan was Australia’s fifth largest international tourism market responsible for spend of approximately A$2.1b with almost 500,000 Japanese visitors arriving in Australia. Air capacity between Japan and Australia is significantly increasing, underpinning travel growth. Capacity levels are scheduled to return in March 2024 with 85 flights per week. This will bring air capacity to 132 per cent of 2019 levels. | |
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| |  | | G’day Australia 2023 results | | G’day Australia 23, held in Cairns/Gimuy in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland and supported by Tourism Tropical North Queensland has yielded 100 percent satisfaction from the industry and agents that attended. G’day Australia is an Australia-based trade event that combines a training workshop and familiarisation visits exclusively for qualified Aussie Specialist agents from across the globe. This year 300 Aussies specialists were trained on Australian product by 128 Australian Tourism operators. Whilst here they also experienced tourism product first hand with 30 pre and post famils taking place around Australia. To see all the action view the photo gallery and highlight video. |
|  | | Hot List | | Tourism Australia has released its latest travel 'Hot List' for December 2023, available to download now on its corporate website. The guide, which includes the latest news and tourism offerings across the country, 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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| | |  | | Register for Tourism Australia’s December Webinar | | Tourism Australia’s final Industry Webinar for 2023 will take place on Friday 15 December at 11am AEDT. Along with an update on the latest insights and activities from Tourism Australia, Chief Marketing Officer, Susan Coghill, will give an update on Tourism Australia’s ‘Come and Say G’day’ marketing campaign, and the team from Google will join to provide an update on some of the trends they are seeing online and how Google can help travellers and businesses better connect. Register to attend here. |
|  | | Register for Destination Australia 2024 | | Destination Australia will take place on 13 March 2024 at the ICC Sydney. With the theme ‘The next chapter for sustainable growth’ the conference will provide an opportunity to come together and focus on the future of Australian tourism – in the year we hope to exceed 2019 levels of visitation and spend. As we reach this milestone, not only can we stop using pre COVID figures as a reference point, we can evolve the conversation around what the sustainable growth of Australian tourism looks like, as we enter this next phase for our industry. The conference will include industry leaders and topic experts sharing evolving trends and talking about key areas of focus. Register to attend here. |
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| | | | |  | | ATEC Japan Host | | The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has released its ‘Japan Host’ market specialist training program. The program, supported by Tourism Australia, consists of three modules; Market & Culture Ready, Product & Service Ready and Trade Ready designed to help participants understand and attract the Japanese market. Whether you are new to the market or want a refresh on your skills and knowledge, Japan Host is a great opportunity for tourism operators, large or small, to become a confident and successful Japan Host. Find out more here. |
|  | | Cruise passengers experience Indigenous culture | | On 2 December, Celebrity Edge arrived in Darwin, Larrakia Country, carrying over 4,000 passengers and crew on its maiden voyage to Australia. Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation delivered a unique cultural experience. Passengers and crew received an on-board Welcome to Country including traditional dancing and a didgeridoo performance. While disembarking passengers received a Smoking Ceremony. The cultural experience continued with Australian Woven Connections embarking in Darwin to provide women-only on-board workshops sharing the ancient Yolngu culture and traditional weaving practices. The experience provided an opportunity to learn about the sustainable collection processes of the natural materials sourced from Arnhem Land. |
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| | | | |  | | Adelaide Fringe announces 2024 program with over 1,300 shows | | Set to transform Adelaide/Tarntanya into a cultural utopia across February and March, the Adelaide Fringe will return to South Australia in 2024 with more than 1,300 shows. The multi-genre festival amalgamates comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, visual art, music, interactive and more in a melting pot of artistic expression. Taking place across more than 500 venues, next year’s festival will showcase the best talent from South Australia and around the world with almost a quarter of Fringe shows being performed by acts from overseas. Program highlights include The Dome – an immersive, planetarium-style cinematic experience in Freemason Hall and Natural Wonders – an outdoor art gallery under the stars hosted in Adelaide Botanic Garden. Registrations to participate in Adelaide Fringe are still open, and tickets are now on sale now via the Adelaide Fringe website. |
|  | | Crown Sydney celebrates summer in style (with help from Taylor Swift) | | Crown Sydney launched a lineup of exciting activities and offers over summer, including a brand new ‘Savour Summer’ hotel offer, which includes an overnight stay for two in a Deluxe King room at Crown Sydney, two Patrón cocktails at TWR, breakfast for two at Epicurean and a late check out of 12pm. Meanwhile, a masquerade themed soiree will take place at CIRQ on New Year’s Eve, one of the best vantage points in the city to watch the fireworks. The package includes free flowing champagne, roving canapes, bountiful food stations, live entertainment, and sweeping views of the harbour. Further, Crown’s acclaimed bar Teahouse will activate from 11 January - 25 February 2024, with Eras-themed decorations in each of the standalone Bird Cages, cocktails inspired by Taylor Swift’s songs. Guests can book their experiences via the Crown Sydney website. |
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| | |  | | Cocos Keeling Island launches new website and branding | | Swaying palm trees, white-sand beaches and ocean adventures; the country’s most remote island getaway the Cocos Keeling Islands, WA is showing the world it’s open for tourism with a new look website and branding as ‘Australia’s last unspoilt paradise’. Located 900 km from Christmas Island and a half-day flight from Perth/Boorloo, the Cocos Keeling Islands is a tropical atoll of 27 islands, only two of which are inhabited. Surrounded by one of the world’s largest marine parks, the site takes an immersive look at island life, highlighting its idyllic natural surroundings and laid back culture, friendly locals and activities from sports fishing and kitesurfing to scuba diving, snorkeling and birdwatching. Created with award-winning design and technology agency Humaan, is part of a bigger campaign to put the island on the map and educate travelers. |
|  | | Melbourne/Narrm to welcome vibrant StandardX property | | Pioneering hotel chain Standard International is preparing to unveil its first Australian outpost, StandardX, in Melbourne/Narrm in February 2024. Located in vibrant, post-industrial Fitzroy, the StandardX is an homage to the suburbs gritty yet lively heritage, long known for its iconic record stores, sticky-carpeted punk clubs, legendary writers' haunts, and beloved party spots. StandardX’s public spaces draw in Fitzroy’s rebellious spirit with bold artworks by local artists such as Sarah Smalltown’s macrame wrapped pillars, which contrasts against the 125 suites’ contemporary, uncomplicated aesthetics, with room categories ranging from the intimate Cozy King to spacious Suite Spot. |
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