| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | It was so great to see many of you last Thursday at Tourism Australia’s annual Destination Australia Conference. The event was our biggest ever with over 1,000 attending in person and online, and it clearly demonstrated that business events are back – and better than ever! The theme of the conference was Reimaging the Future of Tourism, and we heard from a range of speakers on topics from what the future traveller wants, to telling the Indigenous story, and to the future of aviation. A key outtake was that there are lots of opportunities to focus on as we move forward, and that the collaboration that got us through the crisis will be key to our recovery. This Friday, 11 March, I will present at Tourism Australia’s Hobart Industry Briefing and networking event. If you haven’t already, there’s still time to register to attend. Later this month, on Monday 28 March, we will hold the Adelaide Industry Briefing and networking event at Skycity Ballroom. More details and information on how to register to attend can be found here. The next Tourism Australia Industry Webinar will take place on Friday 25 March 2022. Register to attend, here. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the residents and businesses who are being impacted right now by the floods, and also give a shout out to the armed forces, emergency services personnel, and volunteers, who are helping with the recovery. We have included details on government support available below. Phillipa Harrison | | |
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| |  | | Spotlight on Hong Kong | | This week, ‘Spotlight on the Regions’ features an interview with Carmen Tam, Tourism Australia’s Country Manager Hong Kong, who shares her insights and observations from the Hong Kong market, as well as updates on key stakeholders and activities to keep Australia front of mind in-market. Read the update here. |
|  | | Australia welcomes back Parisians | | The Australian Embassy and Tourism Australia are sending a bright and cheery ‘welcome back’ to French travellers in Paris with a new mega-banner on the western façade of the Australian Embassy building. Australia’s Ambassador to France, Ms Gillian Bird PSM, joined the team effort to encourage French travellers to come and visit as soon as possible and enjoy a well-deserved Australian holiday! The banner is highly visible with around 19,000 people passing by every day. The new banner is designed to act as an invitation to Parisians to come and visit Australia. Photo credit Australian Embassy Paris |
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| | | | | |  | | Banksia Awards finalists announced | | The 33rd National Banksia Awards finalists have been announced. The Sustainable Tourism Award, sponsored by Tourism Australia, recognises outstanding achievements by an organisation or organisations in collaboration in championing the protection, conservation and regeneration of the environment they operate in and/or the protection of the natural environment across Australia; securing, nurturing and supporting the economic and physical wellbeing of community and culture. Congratulations to all finalists. The award winners will be announced on 31 March in Melbourne. |
|  | | YHA launches ‘Y-Jobs’ online job listings | | YHA has just launched ‘Y-Jobs’ connecting Working Holiday Makers with tourism and hospitality roles. Job vacancies can be listed for free until 11 March 2022 using the code LAUNCH. YHA is renowned as an accommodation provider across Australia for backpackers and working holiday makers and they have introduced this service to help the tourism and hospitality industry recover from staffing shortages brought on by the pandemic. The site lists a range of jobs including bars, restaurants and hotels, to roles in tour operations, guiding and administration. |
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| | |  | | Six Sydney cultural institutions join forces to launch new advertising campaign ‘Find Yourself’ | | ‘Find Yourself’ is an uplifting new advertising campaign promoting Sydney’s iconic cultural institutions, created by Sydney agency Chisel in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Powerhouse Museum, State Library of New South Wales, and Sydney Living Museums. The first creative collaboration between the six cultural institutions and Chisel, ‘Find Yourself’ encourages Sydneysiders and tourists to again explore the city’s art galleries, museums, libraries and historic sites to discover immersive, reflective and surprising experiences. |
|  | | Assistance for flood-impacted communities | | The Australian Government has activated support for communities impacted by the current 2022 flooding event in Queensland and New South Wales. People living in the Local Government Areas listed here can apply for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment.
New South Wales residents affected by recent severe weather and storms may be eligible for a disaster relief grant. Call 13 77 88 and ask about the disaster relief grant administered by Resilience NSW.
In Queensland, Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants of up to $75,000 are available to assist directly impacted small businesses, primary producers and non-profits with the costs of clean-up and reinstatement. |
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| | | |  | | Grampians Grape Escape pops back to life in April | | One of Victoria’s leading food and drink festivals, Grampians Grape Escape, is returning after a two-year hiatus. Held in Mount Wellington, the not-for-profit festival will serve up a long weekend of world-class regional wines, seasonal food and live performances. Held in the region’s idyllic foothills, the three-day event will run from 29 April until 1 May and feature over 100 exhibitors from Western Victoria. This year’s festival will include Feel-Good Friday where attendees can dance the day away with the help of the Purple Revolution band. Saturday and Sunday’s showcase will focus on profiling local produce, with appearances from chefs Geoff Jansz and Emmylou MacCarthy. |
|  | | Cairns welcomes a new Indigenous led eco-tour | | Indigenous owned and operated experience, Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours, has scheduled its first tours for independent travellers in the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding World Heritage mountains. Operating out of facilities a 10-minute boat ride from the Cairns CBD, the operator’s new ‘Hands on Country’ tour begins in the Cairns Marine and allows guests to take in the wonders of the Trinity inlet and mountains on Mandingalbay Yidinji Country. The guided half-day tour is hosted by Indigenous rangers and launches seven years after the business commenced its group tour offering in 2015. |
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| | |  | | Four Pillars set to launch Distillery 2.0 in the Yarra Valley | | One of the nation’s leading gin distillers, Four Pillars is getting set to unveil its newly expanded distillery, gin garden and hospitality experience. Due to open in April in Healesville in the Yarra Valley, Distillery 2.0 has been designed by Melbourne’s sustainability led Breathe Architecture. With capacity for around 300 patrons, the venue will include multiple event and function areas and a copper bar. The drinks menu will offer an evolving selection of tasting paddles and Four Pillars cocktails. While the snack menu has designed by former founder of Melbourne eatery Pope Joan, Matt Wilkinson. |
|  | | Sydney Opera House celebrates Saturday with Indigenous culture experience | | The Sydney Opera House has launched an immersive and free Indigenous experience to run until April. Occurring on Saturday nights, Badu Gili Live encourages patrons to gather at the Opera House’s Monumental Steps at sunset for a celebration of First Nations music, art and food. The weekly showcase will profile a range of First Nations artists as they perform in front of the eastern Bennelong sails which are illuminated with animations of ancient and contemporary Aboriginal stories. On site food can be found at a pop-up bar run in collaboration with the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE). |
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