| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | Last week in China we launched our Come and Say G’day campaign to industry and media in Chengdu, one of the country’s top four largest cities. With its innovative large-scale 3D billboards, that often make national headlines in China, the city has emerged as the “go to” place for global luxury brand launches. To maximise the launch moment, we staged a high-impact Australia themed consumer activation on the streets of Chengdu with one of the iconic billboards revealing our Come and Say G’day campaign featuring Ruby the roo in 3D as the backdrop. Australia’s iconic landscapes and experiences were front and centre, to remind our number one tourism market why There’s Nothing Like Australia, and to encourage more Chinese travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday. Also last week, we saw the release of Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey, with the year-end performance results for the sector through to the end of March 2023. The results show the continued recovery of international visitation, with 4.6 million trips to Australia recorded for the year (58 per cent of March 2020 levels) and all spend on trips to Australia reaching $28.8 billion or 69 per cent of March 2020 levels. Further insights from the report are available here. At the weekend, as part of the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA), we saw new arrangements for UK passport holders applying for Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) Program come into effect. From 1 July 2023, the maximum age limit for UK passport holders applying for a Working Holiday visa increases five years to 35 years inclusive. This week is NAIDOC Week, where we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme, 'For Our Elders', recognises that across every generation Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in communities and families. To coincide with the celebrations, Tourism Australia will begin ramping up our deliverables outlined in our new Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2023-26. The plan, launched at Parliament House last month, outlines our vision for Reconciliation, and works alongside our other areas of focus in this space from our Discover Aboriginal Experiences program, through to the many and varied Indigenous components in our ongoing marketing and PR work. Phillipa Harrison | |
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| | | Tourism Australia ACTIVITY |
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| |  | | Come and Say G’day launches in China | | Last Thursday night Tourism Australia’s global campaign, Come and Say G’day, officially launched in China, which was our number one market in terms of visitation and spend in 2019. At the centre of the launch event held in Chengdu was an Australian themed activation, which featured a giant version of Tourism Australia’s Brand Ambassador Ruby the kangaroo. The eye-catching activation remained in place for a week capitalising on the 800,000 people who pass through that area in the heart of Chengdu every day. The launch event itself was attended by Chinese media, key opinion leaders and important partners and Come and Say G’day has since rolled out across China inviting Chinese travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday. Come and Say G’day is already proving to be a success in key tourism markets around the world, with 59 per cent of those who have viewed the campaign saying it has made them more likely to take a holiday to Australia. In the lead up to the launch a senior delegation of Australian tourism, business events and airport representatives travelled to China to meet with important partners. Tourism Australia will work with many of these partners as part of the campaign, including airlines and Key Distribution Partners such as retailers, wholesalers and online travel agents. |
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| | |  | | Connect to Country Issue 5 | | Issue 5 of the quarterly Connect to Country digital magazine, dedicated to telling the stories of Discover Aboriginal Experiences members, has just launched to coincide with NAIDOC Week. In this edition we provide you with a bucket-list of experiences in areas so incredible that they have been recognised by UNESCO for their Outstanding Universal Value to Humanity. We highlight Indigenous food experiences that combine a love of fine dining with an interest in Aboriginal cultures and in our Upskill feature you will discover where you can recreate the distinctive X-ray painting style found in rock art galleries throughout the Top End, or the more contemporary dot painting techniques that began in the Central Desert in the 1970s. |
|  | | Signature Experiences of Australia and Aussie Specialist Showcase | | Tourism Australia's domestic Aussie Specialist team and the Signature Experiences of Australia collective partnered up to deliver a Signature Experiences Showcase visiting Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Over 135 Aussie Specialists based in Australia heard the latest updates from eight of the Signature Experiences collectives and saw inspiring imagery and videos on the big screen at cinema venues. During the showcase, the agents were immersed in a world of wildlife encounters, luxurious lodges, and unforgettable cultural experiences for their clients. The event successfully generated excitement and energy among the Aussie Specialist agents, leaving them eager to promote and sell these exceptional offerings. Furthermore, the agents were equipped with valuable resources to facilitate bookings and enhance their knowledge of the diverse range of experiences available within their own country. |
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| | |  | | Australia in the media in the UK following Working Holiday visa age increase announcement | | More than 35,000 young Brits head to Australia each year to work, play and travel while down under on the working holiday visa. From July, the age range for the popular visa increased to 18-35 years inclusive, a five-year increase from the current maximum age of 30 years. To amplify the announcement, Tourism Australia’s team in the UK secured over 350 pieces of coverage across TV, radio stations print and online publications, including BBC News TV, enticing young British travellers across the UK to head down under to enjoy a working holiday. From 1 July 2024, UK passport holders will be eligible to be granted Working Holiday visas up to a total of three years without having to meet any specified work requirements. Greater mobility options for young UK travellers will help to support our tourism sector rebuild and our in-market activities are aimed at encouraging more young travellers to come and work and play in Australia. |
|  | | French Youth Content Campaign | | Tourism Australia has published a series of content pieces on Konbini, the biggest French youth platform with over 3.1 million monthly visitors. The content campaign includes an article about 11 good reasons to leave immediately for Australia, as well as two video content formats with interviews of former Working Holiday Makers talking about their time down under. The interviewees share their job experiences as well as how they lived the Australian lifestyle. A small quiz on Konbini’s Instagram channel, will focus on Australian highlights. The campaign will reach over 1 million potential future French working holiday makers. |
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| | |  | | June Hot List released | | Tourism Australia has released its latest travel 'Hot List' for June 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. |
|  | | Aussie Specialist Program Roadshow Nationwide in Korea | | Tourism Australia’s Korea team together with key wholesalers Hana Tour, Mode Tour and Hanjin Travel kicked off an Aussie Specialist Program Roadshow in major cities to train their retail travel advisers. The number of arrivals from Korea in recent months indicates 90% recovery compared to pre-Covid. Amid this pent-up travel demand and the rapid recovery trend in Korea, Tourism Australia encouraged key distribution partners to launch diverse Australian tour products and worked together to educate their travel advisors about Australia. The series of seminars nationwide were well received in the market. Collectively 200 travel advisors were trained. |
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| | | | | |  | | Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience achieves national first | | The Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience is the first tourism operator in Australia to achieve a global standard sustainability certification for tourism through Ecotourism Australia’s new Sustainable Tourism Certification. The Sustainable Tourism Certification assures Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience guests that the visitor experience is backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainability and meets international best practice sustainability standards. The Experience minimises negative impacts on the environment and maximises positive impacts for culture, community and the local economy. The new Sustainable Tourism Certification enables all tourism operators across Australia to be recognised for their commitment to sustainability at global standard. |
|  | | Australian Cruise Association 25th Annual Conference | | The Australian Cruise Association is holding its 25th annual conference in Wollongong NSW from 30 August to 1 September 2023. Sponsored by Destination Wollongong, City of Wollongong and Port Authority of NSW, the conference will provide focus on the next phase of cruise growth in Australia and explore the means to maximise positive opportunities in the sector’s extensive supply chain. Speakers include Tourism Australia, Deloitte Access Economics, EarthCheck and Ponant. More information and the draft program is available here. |
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| | | |  | | Western Australia’s Ngurrangga Tours launch new moon experience | | Happening monthly on a new moon, Discover Aboriginal Experiences member Ngurrangga Tours is offering a New Night Time Tour experience. Enjoy an idyllic Pilbara sunset in a secluded spot at Hearson's Cove while learning traditional hunting and foraging methods. Sit around a fire under the stars, and learn Ancient Aboriginal stories shared for millennia. Finish up with a Corroborree/Ngunda (a traditional dance) by the campfire. The new tour comes after the operator featured on the international YouTube channel Best Ever Food Review Show, who is travelling around Australia on a traditional bushfood tour. |
|  | | QT Hotels launches Gilded Chaos Gin with Four Pillars | | Renowned for its exceptional design-led hotels, QT Hotels and Resorts has partnered with adored local gin brand Four Pillars to launch the second iteration of their gin collaboration. Now pouring at QT’s award-winning bars and restaurants across Australia, the limited-edition Gilded Chaos Gin has been created by Chris Morrison, Director of Beverage QT, alongside QT’s best bartenders and Four Pillars’ co-founder Cameron Mackenzie. Packing a modern Australian flavour punch, the gin is now being served in the Gilded Chaos Luxe Martini and Gilded Gibson cocktails served at QT venues and is also available to purchase by the bottle on QT at Home. |
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| | |  | | Get Deadly After Dark Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tour | | Cairns based Discover Aboriginal Experiences member Mandingalbay Authentic Indigenous Tours has launched Deadly After Dark, a new two-hour experience which will operate every Friday night. Guests will cruise across the inlet learning about the cultural landscape before arriving at the specially built Yulu (stingray) Shelter. Here they’ll be introduced to the incredible story of how the local Indigenous people reclaimed country and regenerated the badly damaged environment. The tour includes canapes and refreshments made from locally sourced native ingredients. |
|  | | Byron Bay welcomes luxe new getaway, The Brooklet | | Combining luxury accommodation with elegant wellness facilities and nourishing hospitality offerings, The Brooklet has opened in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Travel down a picturesque driveway and escape to a 125-acre property which has been lovingly and sustainably created by Greta and Perry Smith. The considered property features six luxury villas as well as a more sizeable guesthouse, for groups up to six. In addition to the soothing villas, guests are beckoned to enjoy an intimate dining area, 25m mineral pool overlooking the rolling hinterland, rainwater showers, infrared saunas and more. |
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